Russia could be spying on Ukraine through Telegram
Recently, the founder of Signal, Moxie Marlinspike, has denounced that Telegram is sold as a secure messaging application when it is not. Or at least that is what Moxie says, since he assures that Russia could be spying on Ukraine through this instant messaging service.
This was what he said through Tweet, however, it is not known if this is really what would be happening. Or if it is simply a move by Moxie to attract new users to their platform.
During a thread on the social network Twitter, the creator of Signal, Moxie explained why Telegram is not a secure service, at least for Ukrainians at the moment.
According to what he said, Telegram is currently the most important instant messaging service in Ukraine. However, this is not as safe as many people think.
According to what you have explained, all multimedia content, contacts, chats and messages are stored on their servers. In this case, the client (your phone or computer) can only see what is castellated on these servers.
In this sense, anyone who has access to the Telegram servers could have access to the data of all users. This makes it possible to become vulnerable.
Although the chats are encrypted and, in theory, nobody could access them, as he explained, this encryption is not entirely secure. Someone with a lot of power (such as the Russian government) could force the people behind Telegram to provide information.
Let us remember that the creators of Telegram are of Russian origin and although they do not live in the country, they do have relatives who do. So this would represent a huge weakness and does not guarantee that user chats are completely secure.
In this sense, it could become possible for the Russian government to spy on Ukrainians thanks to Telegram.
Moxie recommends the use of Signal for more secure communications
Following the Tweet, tycoon Elon Musk asked Moxie if he was sure his app (Signal) was completely secure. The developer's response was immediate and ensured that Signal worked differently from Telegram.
As he explained, unlike Telegram, Signal does not store data on any server. Messages are fully end-to-end encrypted. The same goes for contacts, media, and everything in the app.
Thanks to this, users who use Signal for their conversations and groups can be completely sure that their data will be safe. That is why he recommended Ukrainians to use this service so that they can have a much more secure communication.
Should you leave Telegram?
It is important to mention that Telegram is a very secure application and that it ensures the safety of its users. Moxie 's statements refer to a very specific situation, that is, these times of war.
However, apart from this, you should not have any problem using it. Also, if you are not Ukrainian, this is unlikely to affect you.
So, do not rush to uninstall Telegram and install Signal, since in practice, there would be no problem. Also, keep in mind that the number of people using Signal is limited and you would have to convince your friends and family to use it.