After Pavel Durov’s arrest in France over the weekend, attention has turned to Telegram, the popular messaging app he founded with his brother Nikolai.
Since its launch in 2013, Telegram has experienced meteoric growth, drawing over 950 million monthly active users largely due to its emphasis on secure messaging.
Here’s what you need to know about the app at the center of one of the biggest tech controversies in recent years.
What is Telegram?
Telegram is one of several alternative chat apps that allow you to message, voice call, and video call people for free. Others include Signal, Viber, and Discord - though the latter is mostly associated with gamers.
While not as mainstream as its main rivals (think WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or Snapchat), Telegram has carved out a substantial niche thanks to its ease of use, customisation options, and the ability to broadcast messages to a wide audience.
Joining the app is as simple as downloading it from an app store and creating an account by entering your mobile number.
However, in order to send and receive messages from other people in your contacts, they need to have a Telegram account, too.
Therefore, the app doesn’t serve as a replacement for SMS text messaging, which allows you to communicate with anyone regardless of the app or platform they’re on.
How do Telegram groups and channels work?
Arguably, the biggest draw for Telegram users are its features that let you communicate with thousands of people at once, including group chats and Channels.
The latter function as private and public rooms that you can either join by getting an invite from the owner or by searching for them. Once you’re in, you’ll get updates from them in the chats section of the app, just like you would from your friends and family.
Some channels allow people to comment, while others offer more limited interaction, like the ability to like or react to posts, which can range from web links to memes to polls to disappearing stories.
These rooms are typically much larger on Telegram than they are on WhatsApp, with up to 200,000 members allowed in groups, and unlimited subscribers for Channels.
Anyone can create them, after which they can post updates, add more admins, and even other users as members.
Is Telegram encrypted?
Although every chat and call on Telegram is encrypted to some extent, only specific types of communication offer end-to-end encryption (E2EE), the highest standard of data protection.
E2EE ensures that only the sender and recipient can read their messages, making it impossible for third parties — including the service provider — to access content.
If you’re specifically looking for E2EE, keep in mind that Telegram does not enable it by default for all chats and calls. It’s only available for one-on-one calls and messages when you choose the Secret Chats option.
Secret Chats also come with additional privacy features: messages can’t be forwarded, and you can set a self-destruct timer, with intervals ranging from one second to one week.
For other types of communications, such as group chats, group calls, livestreams, and channels, Telegram uses secure client-server encryption. This means the data is encrypted on your device, sent to Telegram’s servers in a secure format, and then decrypted on the recipient’s device.
Telegram also states that all data stored on their servers is encrypted, with the keys used for encryption split and stored separately from the data they protect, further enhancing security.
By contrast, both WhatsApp and Signal offer E2EE by default. Still, some privacy-minded people are reluctant to use the former due to its association with Facebook owner, and targeted advertising giant, Meta.
What countries have banned Telegram?
Telegram has faced numerous bans and restrictions worldwide that have seen the company clash with authorities over political, security, and cultural concerns.
In Durov’s native Russia, Telegram was banned from 2018 to 2020 due to the company's refusal to provide encryption keys to the government.
Iran's relationship with Telegram has also been fraught, mainly due to its popularity with local activists and dissidents. In 2018, the government blocked the app, accusing it of being a tool for organising protests and distributing content deemed inappropriate.
In nearby Pakistan, Telegram was temporarily blocked in 2017, and banned altogether the following year.
Indonesia's government also moved to restrict Telegram in 2017, citing worries about terrorist content being shared on the platform. The app was temporarily blocked until Telegram agreed to remove channels that were associated with terrorism, demonstrating the delicate balance the company has been forced to strike between upholding free speech and complying with local laws.
In 2023, Telegram was briefly suspended in Brazil for its alleged failure to comply with an investigation into neo-Nazi groups on its platform.
Spain also attempted to block the app earlier this year due to copyright concerns raised by media companies. The country’s high court later suspended the ban in response to significant public backlash.
Why was Pavel Durov arrested?
On Saturday, Mr Durov was reportedly detained at Bourget Airport near Paris as he disembarked from his private jet.
French prosecutors later said the Russian-born billionaire was arrested as part of an investigation into crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform.
The arrest of the 39-year-old tech entrepreneur drew a sharp response from Moscow, which warned Paris to ensure Durov's rights are respected.
Additionally, Elon Musk, owner of X, criticised the move, claiming it represents an attack on free speech in Europe.
In a statement following his arrest, Telegram said: “Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”
The company continued: “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act - its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.”
