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Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

latimes.com

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Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#51

Post by adityasaky »

chromedev wrote: post #33
kozak wrote: 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.

You forget to mention the desktop and mobile apps both are open source, so anyone can build their own network.

Unfortunately (this may have changed in recent times), they often don't update the public repos in line with their releases. They put them out all at once later. Also, last I checked only the clients are open source? Has that changed?

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#52

Post by csydas »

mbdesign wrote: post #49
eitland wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Compared to WhatsApp that is owned by a massive megacorp that bought it for over $10bn and that has already tried to start mining metadata from it I would say Telegram still has its advantages. (FWIW: I prefer Signal.)

Prefer Signal myself too. It's a bit hard to switch over from WhatsApp and tried to use it at least with my spouse. One feature that Telegram and WhatsApp miss, is being able to send yourself a message. On Signal you can do this and it's very convenient for taking notes, sending passwords (laptop phone) and for saving bookmarks. I used to share interesting bookmarks from HN to my email, but that quickly got cumbersom…

Telegram has the saved messages chat which is a chat with yourself.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#53

Post by mbowcutt »

rectang wrote: post #44

Should the revolution fail, the digital trail left by these messages will give the government everything they need to hunt down every last activist. We saw it with the Green Revolution in Iran. We've seen it several times since. So long as messages are not encrypted, messaging apps are much more naturally suited as tools of oppression than tools of revolution.

I don't know too much about Telegram but isn't it encrypted?

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#54

Post by nobodyshere »

mercacona wrote: post #15
victords wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly don’t think they do. I really think that’s just a personal project of a Russian billionaire that has enough free time and pretty much unlimited resources.

Yeah, that’s what their website claims. But it isn’t.

Normally I’d ask you for some kind of proof, but I know you won’t be able to output any of it.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#55

Post by jessaustin »

dmurray wrote: post #30
paganel wrote: 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-base…

Was there something about TikTok recently?

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#56

Post by dgellow »

echelon wrote: post #35
ip26 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you similarly critical of discussions about how ubiquitous camera phones have changed the civil rights movement? Technology is only a tool, and is only as good as what people actually do with it. But it can be a crucial tool that changes everything.

I don't think so. Calling it "{arbitrary brand} revolution", when pretty much every messaging platform is indistinguishable feels crass and tacky. The brand isn't the one in the trenches making the sacrifices. It could be called a smart phone revolution instead. A revolution of the people.

Telegram has some distinct features that makes it quite good during protests:

- location based chats, you see people around and can start a local group. So you can easily get in contact with other protestors around you.

- Broadcasting channels

- Not by default, but you can creat encrypted chats, with auto destruction

- Since a few days, encrypted video calls

- Not owned by Facebook

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#57

Post by jgilias »

echelon wrote: post #35
ip26 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you similarly critical of discussions about how ubiquitous camera phones have changed the civil rights movement? Technology is only a tool, and is only as good as what people actually do with it. But it can be a crucial tool that changes everything.

I don't think so. Calling it "{arbitrary brand} revolution", when pretty much every messaging platform is indistinguishable feels crass and tacky. The brand isn't the one in the trenches making the sacrifices. It could be called a smart phone revolution instead. A revolution of the people.

It was reported that Telegram was the only thing that somewhat kept working when the internet was down country wide.

Also, I installed Telegram for the explicit purpose of following the events in Belarus directly from sources. By doing that I noticed that apparently the local press in my country have done the same, as it seemed that most of the updates in online media have come from the same Telegram channels. So, it has also served the role of information dissemination beyond the borders of Belarus at a time when journalists working there were harassed and sometimes imprisoned.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#58

Post by ROARosen »

dmurray wrote: post #30
paganel wrote: 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-base…

> as soon as a platform that was not US-controlled gained a foothold in the US, we'd see a crackdown from the establishment

Telegram is not US controlled. There is no crackdown from the "establishment". Except if you meant only in situations where there is widespread unrest? If it is not relevant to Facebook here in the US in the first place.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#59

Post by myth_drannon »

There was also a very large Telegram channel where they were doxing riot police members that were participating in attacks on demonstrators. It was extremely efficient infowar since it was their home addresses, family photos, wife's cellphone number...

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#60

Post by adishy »

mbdesign wrote: post #49
eitland wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Compared to WhatsApp that is owned by a massive megacorp that bought it for over $10bn and that has already tried to start mining metadata from it I would say Telegram still has its advantages. (FWIW: I prefer Signal.)

Prefer Signal myself too. It's a bit hard to switch over from WhatsApp and tried to use it at least with my spouse. One feature that Telegram and WhatsApp miss, is being able to send yourself a message. On Signal you can do this and it's very convenient for taking notes, sending passwords (laptop phone) and for saving bookmarks. I used to share interesting bookmarks from HN to my email, but that quickly got cumbersom…

OT but if it helps you, Whatsapp does actually allow you to send messages to yourself (sort of)! You can create a Whatsapp group with you and one other person in it, and then remove them from the group. The result is a group with only you in it that you can use to send messages to yourself.
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