Telegram: Friendly Outfit for Russia, Other Places, Not So Much

August 18, 2020

There’s nothing like encrypted communications for bad actors. Some law enforcement and regulatory professionals are less enthusiastic. Russia has worked a deal with Telegram. Details about what Telegram’s side of the bargain include are sparse. Russia’s side of the deal is equally fuzzy. One might surmise a mechanism for accessing encrypted content. Is this possible? The answer depends on whom one asks.

Telegram in its quest to remain in business has, according to “Telegram Launches One-on-One Video Calls with End-to-End Encryption,” is dimming the lights for some law enforcement and regulatory units. The write up reports:

The video calls on Telegram support picture-in-picture mode, so that people can check and reply to their messages while talking to a friend. The calls are also protected with end-to-end encryption, with the security confirmed by matching emojis on the screen on either end of the line. Telegram continues to work on more features and improvements for its video call offering, saying that it is working to launch group video calls in the coming months. The upcoming feature will allow the app to jump into the videoconferencing market, which has become more crucial as people stay at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

What’s the big deal? Encrypted messaging poses a cost and time hurdle for government authorities. Bad actors find these encrypted services more useful than some other forms of information exchange. For example, the razzle dazzle of the Dark Web (despite its modest size in terms of sites and users) is losing ground to encrypted messaging services. And why not?

From a mobile device, encrypted messaging can replicate many of the more interesting facets of the Dark Web; for example:

Encryption and anonymity. Check
In app payment. Check
Private groups. Check
Social media functions. Semi check.

“Going dark” is no longer a bit of in-crowd jargon. It is a reality. And for Russian authorities, maybe not so dark.

Stephen E Arnold, August 18, 2020

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under News, Privacy, Social Media

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.