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Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

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Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#81
post #56
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

>- Not owned by Facebook

"nine out of ten Egyptians and Tunisians responded to a poll that they used Facebook to organise protests and spread awareness" [1]

"During the Arab Spring the number of users of social networks, especially Facebook, rose dramatically in most Arab countries, particularly in those where political uprising took place, with the exception of Libya, which at the time had low Internet access preventing people from doing so" [1]

As far as I'm aware Facebook is actually owned by Facebook.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_and_the_Arab_Spri...

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#82
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.

Telegram has a feature that I really like. It allows you to delete your messages from other people devices as well.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#83
post #35
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.

Nobody sees "Telegram revolution" and thinks the revolution was all about or solely enabled by the brand/technology. It's just a unique aspect of the revolution used to identify it. A good example of how a brand/technology was used to name (but not describe) an event over 30 years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_War

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#84
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I have never seen anyone actually doing that. The popularity of Telegram consists 100% of the popularity of its own network.

If for some reason they were caught doing something worthy of changing the network, then I could see it happening. With their recent addition of video messaging, they pretty much have the best messenger app to date.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#85
post #10

It's never "the work of a long-preparing revolutionnary crowd" revolution, but always a "latest fashionable technology" revolution. Tech propaganda at its best.

It's literally what one of the protestors called it.

> “Telegram channels and websites that don’t belong to our government are the main source of information today as we cannot at all rely on state media,” said Roman Semenov, who follows the NEXTA channels and joined a rally in central Minsk on Wednesday evening. “It’s a Telegram revolution.”

On top of that this is article detailing how this particular technology, has made a significant impact for the protesters.

“The fate of the country has never depended so much on one [piece] of technology,” Viacorka said.

There have been a number of articles and news coverage of this topic. That this one article focused on the technology aspect of the protesters and protesting does not make it, "tech propaganda."

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#86
Actually there are reports that riot police was specifically looking at ones telegram channels to decide on the degree of your immediate punishment (yes, old school batons). And it was easily decrypted (phone unlocked) with a threat by the cops. I am in Belarus at the moment and can confirm telegram was not available without vpns/proxy just like any other resource. And why wouldn't it be?

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#87
post #34
post #14

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

Matrix has comprehensive encryption now and is decentralized.

Matrix really does seem like the ideal future platform to build on, I've started poking around it and really like what I see. Does anyone with more experience want to chime in on what they've found using it?

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#88
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.

So disappointing that true anonymous communication is technologically feasible but is only unavailable due to government intervention and public apathy.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#89
Ctrl-F "Signаl": 10 instances

Seriously, it'd be nice if we could have one thread about Telegram without S-advocates showing up and complaining about "security". Yes, we know Telegram isn't as secure, yadda yadda yadda. Now if only Signal provided half the features Telegram does, maybe non-cryptonerds would have heard of it.

Re: Telegram messaging app proves crucial to Belarus protests

#90
post #41

Wasn't Telegram restricted in Russia? I'm surprised Belarus can't turn it off whenever it wants as well.

They tried to block it but didn't really succeed. It continued working although with some glitches.

If any technical details of that block and why it failed emerge, they would be fascinating reading. It also kind of makes one wonder if there's a non-technical reason why blocking it failed.
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