Why is Telegram notorious? The allegations range from paper leaks to child pornography

Telegram is the second most popular messaging app in India after WhatsApp. However, given the recent discussions about Telegram, the messaging app might be banned in the country. The reason is that Telegram has been targeted for allegedly being used for various illegal activities, from paper leaks and child pornography to stock price manipulation.

Cyber ​​experts and law enforcement officials have even compared Telegram to the dark web due to its role in enabling these illegal activities. As a result, Telegraph is now under close government scrutiny for its alleged involvement in enabling criminal activities.

Concerns in India heightened when Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on August 24. The investigation is currently ongoing. Durov is being investigated for failing to address criminal activities on his platform, including the distribution of child sexual abuse material – an issue that is also emerging in India. In addition, Telegram has also been linked to promoting various scams and frauds in the country.

On August 26, the Paris prosecutor’s office announced that the investigation into Pavel Durov includes charges related to illegal transactions, child pornography, fraud, and failure to report these activities to the relevant authorities. In response, Telegram reiterated its stance, stating: “It is absurd to say that a platform or its owner should be held responsible for the misuse of that platform.” Telegram’s user base has grown from 550 million in 2022 to 950 million users today.

On July 24, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) uncovered an incident involving persistent price fluctuations on the Telegram app. The administrator of a Telegram group was accused of taking a commission of Rs 20 lakh for manipulating the share price of a steel sheet manufacturer.

According to a media report, two men from Bhopal were arrested on May 3 for allegedly defrauding a local doctor of Rs 3.8 million. They had posed as police officers on Telegram and conducted fake interrogations to carry out the scam.

On June 19, the UGC-NET exam, which had around 900,000 candidates taking part, was cancelled a day after it was conducted because a set of questions was leaked on Telegram. Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “We have compared the questions with the original UGC-NET questions and they matched…”

Similarly, on May 3, several NEET-UG candidates were reportedly given exam questions before the exams, which led to a major uproar in the country and prompted an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation and intervention by the Supreme Court.

The central government has not publicly announced any major measures against Telegram. However, due to rampant illegal activities on this platform, calls for strict regulations and monitoring are increasing.

The government is closely monitoring Telegram’s activities and is concerned about the company’s involvement in illegal activities. At the same time, like other social media platforms, there are proposals to impose strict rules on the content shared on Telegram.

Indian authorities are working to identify people involved in illegal activities using Telegram and bring them to justice. The government is raising awareness about the risks of using Telegram for illegal activities and urging users to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity.