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Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

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Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#31

If anyone here is interested, I started on a new project called Chatdog ( https://chat.dog ) to create an alternative to Telegram, et al. Telegram forces you to download their app and provide your phone number to join a room. Chatdog doesn’t require any personal data and can even be used anonymously!

So, like Telegram but without false promises of security? Awesome!

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#32
post #13

Honestly, I don't understand why there are still details missing from this story. Durov is willing to share that Telegram hasn't been able to ship updates, but not the full reason. Have they been actively rejected (and thus, provided a rejection reason)? Or have Apple just stopped approving their updates silently? If it's the former, I don't know what app store guideline says "well, Telegram is banned in Russia, and…

I've certainly never heard of Apple rejecting an app update without giving a reason. I'd agree that it feels like there's something that Durov isn't telling us here.

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#33
post #11
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All this points to me is the risks of owning a phone whose only way to add apps is to go through one company's own discretion. Unlike in Android where you can easily install apps from other app stores or just download the file.

Installing apps outside an app store also introduces other risks, it's not exactly one better than the other. Personally I'd love to sideload apps, but seeing how big of a mess that was on desktops leads me to believe most users are better served by a gatekeeper.

> most users are better served by a gatekeeper.

I think the point is that Android's marketplace functions as a gatekeeper. Apple's marketplace functions as a prison warden. The difference is whether you on the inside are allowed to make exceptions for who can come through, or even pass through yourself. If you have no control, what you've been told is a protective wall is actually restraining wall.

That said, as to your original point, perhaps some people do need their devices imprisoned for the benefit of the rest of us. I'm not sure I believe that, but I will readily admit that a vast number of people are either unable or unwilling to detect and rectify the problem of their digital devices being hacked, and that ends up affecting us all.

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#34
post #11
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All this points to me is the risks of owning a phone whose only way to add apps is to go through one company's own discretion. Unlike in Android where you can easily install apps from other app stores or just download the file.

Installing apps outside an app store also introduces other risks, it's not exactly one better than the other. Personally I'd love to sideload apps, but seeing how big of a mess that was on desktops leads me to believe most users are better served by a gatekeeper.

I will never support an oppressor. People should be free of gatekeepers, even if they're worse at looking after themselves than the gatekeepers are, because being a gatekeeper is just far too much of a moral hazard.

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#35
post #23

I'd given this challenge some thought in the recent past, specifically the challenge that the big app store owners are each generally susceptible to coercion by large nation-state actors in spite of being multinationally distributed. There was a project I was involved in rather heavily (cyph // resulted in a pair of neat conference talks) where we'd accounted for the risks of apps being banned by making the entire ap…

[deleted]

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#36

If anyone here is interested, I started on a new project called Chatdog ( https://chat.dog ) to create an alternative to Telegram, et al. Telegram forces you to download their app and provide your phone number to join a room. Chatdog doesn’t require any personal data and can even be used anonymously!

But you require scripts from a lot of 3rd parties, which may or may not respect my privacy.

Maybe consider using a CDN or hosting necessary scripts on your server?

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#37
post #20
post #16

This is likely a false accusation. If Apple acquiesced to Russia’s demands, Apple would have: 1) removed Telegram from the App Store in Russia, and 2) prevented Telegram from using the Apple Push Notification Service to distribute non-blocked IP addresses to clients. More likely, updates are being rejected for another infraction. Telegram should publish the App Store reviewer’s criticisms publicly, and provide more c…

Knowing Apple I would be very surprised that it is a false accusation.

Interesting, you don’t think this is an odd punishment if this was about Russia?

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#38

This is why I will never own an Apple phone. No one should have the power to decide what can and can't be installed on your devices.

So you've never owned a game console either?

That's not very far fetched.

Re: Telegram App Says Apple Is Blocking Updates Over Dispute with Russia

#40

If anyone here is interested, I started on a new project called Chatdog ( https://chat.dog ) to create an alternative to Telegram, et al. Telegram forces you to download their app and provide your phone number to join a room. Chatdog doesn’t require any personal data and can even be used anonymously!

But you require scripts from a lot of 3rd parties, which may or may not respect my privacy. Maybe consider using a CDN or hosting necessary scripts on your server?

All scripts are on Cloudfront except for when someone shares a YouTube video or Twitter tweet. Google Analytics and Typekit are the only third-party scripts that are always loaded. I do need to add UI to allow users to disable these.
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