Ukraine has restricted the use of the Telegram messaging app by government officials, the military and other defense and critical infrastructure workers, citing national security concerns.
The ban was announced by the National Cyber Security Coordination Center (NCCC) in a Facebook post.
“I have always advocated and am advocating freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not an issue of freedom of speech, it is an issue of national security,” said the head of Ukraine’s GUR, Kirill Budanov. said.
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDA) said that Telegram is “actively used by the adversary” to conduct cyberattacks, distribute phishing messages and malware, track users’ locations, and gather intelligence to help the Russian military strike targets in Ukraine with drones and missiles.
For this purpose, it is prohibited to use Telegram on the official devices of employees of state authorities, military personnel, employees of the security and defense sector, as well as companies that are operators of critical infrastructure.
It should be noted that the ban does not apply to personal phones, as well as to people who use the program as part of their official duties.
In a statement provided by Reuters, Telegram said it has not shared any personal data with any country, including Russia, and that deleted messages are permanently deleted without the possibility of recovery.
The development comes weeks after Telegram’s CEO was arrested in France and later released on bail in connection with an investigation into the use of the popular messaging app for child pornography, drug trafficking and fraud.
