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Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

latimes.com

21–30 of 557 posts

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#21
post #14

Why not Signal? It’s the way to go as far as messaging apps are concerned.

Signal seems to be more secure. I prefer it.

Telegram is really really well made ux wise though, scales effortlessly and is in use anyway for everything else in certain groups so it is easy to reach for.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#22
post #14

Why not Signal? It’s the way to go as far as messaging apps are concerned.

My recollection (can someone verify?) is that Telegram continues to function in limited-connectivity environments, making it a good fit for situations where a state actor is limiting network access.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#23
post #14

Why not Signal? It’s the way to go as far as messaging apps are concerned.

Don't they both require handing over a mobile phone number to use them? This is what has always confused me (and turned me off) about these privacy-focussed messaging apps.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#24
post #14

Why not Signal? It’s the way to go as far as messaging apps are concerned.

Telegram is more of a social media platform than a messenger. It has public 'channels' - read-only blogs without likes and comments. The biggest Belarusian channel 'Nexta' has 2M+ subscribers.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#25
post #9

Similar thing is happening in the States with different social media platforms (FB, Reddit until recently) which have empowered political views not reguarded as “good” by the mainstream media, but you don’t see congratulatory articles about this phenomenon, with FB even seen as Satan itself when it comes to politics.

CIA encourages lots of friendly articles about social disruptions they've planned and funded. It seems likely they didn't plan BLM and related recent American protests, but definitely they are behind anything going on in Belarus.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#27
post #5

Considering that the app has been created by Russians (albeit ones who claim to oppose the current government of Russia), and it is popular mostly in countries that surround Russia, this is not surprising at all that it's the default choice for young people in Belarus. Telegram is a strong indicator of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_world these days.

[deleted]

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#28
post #2

Very curious how Telegram plans to monetize the app eventually given their crypto thing didn't work out.

Some of you might remember me as the guy who defends Telegram, and I still am: most of the claims I see here are less than well researched it seems.

The thing you bring up here however is my main issue with Telegram: I want it to be sustainable line WhatsApp once was.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#29
post #9

Similar thing is happening in the States with different social media platforms (FB, Reddit until recently) which have empowered political views not reguarded as “good” by the mainstream media, but you don’t see congratulatory articles about this phenomenon, with FB even seen as Satan itself when it comes to politics.

Because right-wing nationalism is not a good thing.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#30
post #9

Similar thing is happening in the States with different social media platforms (FB, Reddit until recently) which have empowered political views not reguarded as “good” by the mainstream media, but you don’t see congratulatory articles about this phenomenon, with FB even seen as Satan itself when it comes to politics.

A different interpretation is that those social media platforms keep the dissent monitorable and under control, and the powers that be are quite happy with the status quo. If that was the case, as soon as a platform that was not US-controlled gained a foothold in the US, we'd see a crackdown from the establishment. It would be painted as a tool of a foreign power and shut down or forced to be turned over to a US-based entity.

If that ever happens, we'll know democracy in the US is under threat.

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