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Telegram CEO accuses Apple of preventing updates after Russia ban

'Unfortunately, Apple didn't side with us,' says Pavel Durov

Anthony Cuthbertson
Thursday 31 May 2018 16:55 BST
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The popular messaging app Telegram wants to make cryptocurrency more mainstream by launching its own virtual currency for its 200 million users
The popular messaging app Telegram wants to make cryptocurrency more mainstream by launching its own virtual currency for its 200 million users

Apple has been accused of preventing the popular messaging service Telegram from updating after Russia banned the service and ordered its removal from the App store.

Telegram's chief executive officer, Pavel Durov, said the tech giant had restricted updates for "users around the world since mid-April", when the Kremlin outlawed its use in the country.

The app refused to provide decryption keys to the country's security agencies, which would have allowed them to monitor Telegram users in the country.

"We believe we did the only possible thing, preserving the right of our users to privacy in a troubled country," Mr Durov said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Apple didn't side with us. While Russia makes up only 7 per cent of Telegram's user base, Apple is restricting updates for all Telegram."

Mr Durov added that issues with features like stickers were unable to be fixed, despite an update being available.

The inability to update the iOS app also means that Telegram is unable to properly comply with General Data Protection Regulation for its users in the European Union, Mr Durov said.

Apple has previously refused to help the FBI unlock an encrypted iPhone, with CEO Tim Cook saying in 2016 that it would "set a dangerous precedent," though private texts between FBI agents revealed that they considered Mr Cook a hypocrite.

"The US government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create," Mr Cook said at the time.

"Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the US government... Ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedom and liberty our government is meant to protect."

Apple has not responded to a request for comment from The Independent about Mr Durov's comments.

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