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   Telegram rejects allegations over links to Russian Intelligence   
      
   Date:   
   Thu, 12 Jun 2025 13:53:05 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   "Unauthorized access to any data is impossible," said the provider  rejecting   
   a new reports allegations.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Telegram has rejected recent allegations that the popular messaging app may   
   have ties with Russian Intelligence services.    
      
   This comes as an investigation carried out by the Russian independent   
   investigative outlet Important Stories (IStories) claims to have found   
   evidence suggesting Telegram's server infrastructure is under the control of    
   a man whose firms have links to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).    
      
   While Telegram hasn't issued any public responses at the time of writing, the   
   company's spokesperson Remi Vaughn told TechRadar: "All Telegram servers are   
   owned by Telegram and maintained by Telegram employees. Unauthorized access    
   to any data is impossible."    
      
   It's worth mentioning that Telegram is one of the few online platforms that   
   isn't blocked in Russia, meaning that citizens can access it without using    
   one of the best VPN services.   
      
   What does the investigation say?    
      
   According to the IStories investigation  which was supported by the Organized   
   Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)  over 10,000 IP addresses   
   within Telegram's technical infrastructure are managed by a company    
   registered in Antigua and Barbuda called Global Network Management (GNM).    
      
   As per documents from a Florida court case accessed by IStories reporters,    
   the owner of this company is a Russian network engineer named Vladimir   
   Vedeneev, who allegedly told the court that he had been involved in the   
   installation of Telegram Messenger and further technical support.    
      
   Florida's court documents seem to reveal more details of the relationship   
   between Vedeneev and Pavel Durov, Telegram's Founder and CEO. This includes   
   Vedeneev telling the court, "he had the power of attorney to sign documents    
   on behalf of Pavel Durov and on behalf of Telegram."    
      
   Telegram also reportedly operates 5,000 IP addresses provided by another St.   
   Petersburg-based company, Electrontelecom, which IStories said to have found   
   evidence to be an FSB contractor.   
      
   Things get even more intricate as the IStories investigation claims that   
   Vedeneev is also the founder of GlobalNet, a major Russian backbone telecom   
   operator, which allegedly controlled Telegram's IP addresses, now managed by   
   GNM, until 2020.    
      
   "But GlobalNet is not just any network provider. Among its clients is the    
   Main Research Computing Center of the Presidential Property Management   
   Department of Russia (GlavNIVTS). Officially, this organization provides   
   technical support for President Putins public 'direct line'   
   question-and-answer events, summits, and other high-level meetings,"    
   ISStories claims.    
      
   In 2022, GlobalNet launched the first filter and traffic monitoring systems   
   based on Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) at the request of Roskomnadzor, the   
   Russian internet watchdog tasked with enforcing online restrictions.   
      
   What does Telegram say?   
      
   As mentioned earlier, Telegram rejects these accusations.    
      
   In a written comment sent to TechRadar, Telegram's spokesperson Remi Vaughn   
   said: "As a global company, Telegram has contracts with dozens of different   
   service providers around the world. However, none of these service providers   
   have access to Telegram data or sensitive infrastructure.    
      
   "All Telegram servers belong to Telegram and are maintained by Telegram   
   employees. Unauthorized access to any data is impossible. Throughout its   
   entire history, Telegram never disclosed any private messages to a third    
   party  and its encryption has never been breached."    
      
   A response that, according to IStories reporters , "contradicts facts   
   established in a US court."   
      
   Is Telegram safe to use?    
      
   Launched in 2013, Telegram markets itself "as a messaging app with a focus on   
   speed and security."    
      
   Its Founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, is a Russian-born billionaire, popular    
   among free speech fighters for refusing to give away Telegram's users'   
   identities to law enforcement requests.    
      
   Some countries have blocked access to Telegram over the years for this    
   reason, with France issuing an arrest warrant against him for illicit   
   activities that occurred on the platform. Yet, the company is one of the few   
   mainstream online platforms still available in Russia at the time of writing.    
      
   That said, Telegram doesn't offer the same level of security as the likes of   
   Signal and WhatsApp, which encrypt all messages and calls by default. On the   
   contrary, only Telegram's secret chats are end-to-end encrypted, and users   
   have to actively turn on this extra protection themselves.   
      
   Talking to IStories, Micha "Rysiek" Woniak, a security specialist who used to   
   work for OCCRP as head of infrastructure and information security, warns that   
   this system could leave users vulnerable to tracking, even if their messages   
   remain inaccessible.    
      
   He said: "If I know your devices auth_key_id, and I can listen in on the   
   network that handles the data  I know it is your specific device    
   communicating with Telegram servers. By looking at the network packets  I    
   also get your IP address at a given time, which tells me your rough    
   geographic location."    
      
   According to Woniak, this could become a real problem if Russian intelligence   
   services actually have access to Telegram traffic. "A tool for global   
   surveillance of messenger users, regardless of where they are and what server   
   they connect to."    
      
   Whether a link between Telegram and the Russian FSB is yet to be confirmed,   
   the investigation still highlights that protecting the content of   
   communications isn't enough, as metadata privacy matters , too. I invite   
   anyone concerned about their privacy to use solutions that minimize metadata   
   exposure, like Signal and Session .   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/telegram-rejects-allegation   
   s-over-links-to-russian-intelligence   
      
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