Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Privacy

Russia Fines Telegram For Not Giving Backdoor Access

A Russian court on Monday fined the popular Telegram messenger app for failing to provide the country’s security services with encryption keys to read users’ messaging data.

A Russian court on Monday fined the popular Telegram messenger app for failing to provide the country’s security services with encryption keys to read users’ messaging data.

The court imposed an 800,000-ruble fine (about $14,000/12,000 euros) over Telegram’s failure to “provide law enforcement agencies with information” about its users and their messages, TASS news agency reported.

The free instant messaging app, which lets people exchange messages, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000 people, has attracted about 100 million users since its launch in 2013.

Telegram’s self-exiled Russian founder Pavel Durov said in September the FSB had demanded backdoor access.

When Telegram did not provide the encryption keys, the FSB launched a formal complaint.

According to a scan of the complaint posted online by Durov, the FSB had sent a letter to Telegram in July demanding “information necessary to decode users’ sent, received, delivered and processed electronic messages”.

The fine is the latest move in an ongoing dispute between Telegram and the Russian authorities as Moscow pushes to increase surveillance of internet activities.

In June, Russia’s state communications watchdog threatened to ban the app for failing to provide registration documents. Although Telegram later registered, it stopped short of agreeing to its data storage demands.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Companies on the register must provide the FSB with information on user interactions.

Starting from 2018, they must also keep all data from users in Russia according to controversial anti-terror legislation passed last year which was decried by internet companies and the opposition.

Telegram now has 10 days to appeal Monday’s decision. If an appeal fails, the company will be given a grace period to hand over its encryption keys after which it could be blocked in Russia.

Asked about a potential block of the service, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “As far as I know… there is no discussion of a block at this time.”

Written By

AFP 2023

Click to comment

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Understand how to go beyond effectively communicating new security strategies and recommendations.

Register

Join us for an in depth exploration of the critical nature of software and vendor supply chain security issues with a focus on understanding how attacks against identity infrastructure come with major cascading effects.

Register

Expert Insights

Related Content

Artificial Intelligence

Two of humanity’s greatest drivers, greed and curiosity, will push AI development forward. Our only hope is that we can control it.

Cybercrime

Daniel Kelley was just 18 years old when he was arrested and charged on thirty counts – most infamously for the 2015 hack of...

Cybercrime

No one combatting cybercrime knows everything, but everyone in the battle has some intelligence to contribute to the larger knowledge base.

Cybercrime

The FBI dismantled the network of the prolific Hive ransomware gang and seized infrastructure in Los Angeles that was used for the operation.

Cybersecurity Funding

Los Gatos, Calif-based data protection and privacy firm Titaniam has raised $6 million seed funding from Refinery Ventures, with participation from Fusion Fund, Shasta...

Ransomware

The Hive ransomware website has been seized as part of an operation that involved law enforcement in 10 countries.

Privacy

Many in the United States see TikTok, the highly popular video-sharing app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, as a threat to national security.The following is...

Privacy

Employees of Chinese tech giant ByteDance improperly accessed data from social media platform TikTok to track journalists in a bid to identify the source...