Editor's Note: This article comes fromDeepChain (ID: deepchain-eva), Author: Menren, reproduced by Odaily with authorization.
Editor's Note: This article comes from
DeepChain (ID: deepchain-eva)
DeepChain (ID: deepchain-eva)
, Author: Menren, reproduced by Odaily with authorization.
Criminals set up paid-for-level private chat rooms on Telegram to watch and share cruel content about women and even underage girls being sexually exploited and abused. More than 70 victims, 260,000 onlookers...
If it weren't for the "Room N" incident, it would be hard to imagine that a communication software would hide so many dark secrets that are not well known. In fact, the "room N" exposed by the media is just the tip of the iceberg of crimes on Telegram...
Crime, liberalism, privacy protection, cryptocurrency, there are too many keywords hovering over Telegram.
When the "Room N" incident was exposed, the cruel facts of blood and tears made people re-examine the founder of this liberalism and Telegram, which pays attention to privacy protection. At the same time, it also put the issues of technology, freedom and borders on the table.
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As early as 2017, users reported on social media that some people frantically reposted and spread child pornography including videos, pictures, and stickers on Telegram. Most of the young girls in the videos came from Russia and Ukraine, aged 11-16 .
Of course, behind the forwarding of these child pornography, there are also hidden interest demands. These people use child pornography to lure targeted users to their private channels. The download link is left in the channel. When someone downloads content through the download link, the download platform will give them corresponding rewards.
In addition to pornographic content, Telegram also gathers a variety of other illegal and criminal activities, which can be said to be an unregulated extralegal place to some extent.
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The illegal business scope of "Social Engineering Library" on Telegram
For example, as long as you pay some money, you can easily obtain private information such as a person's ID card information and house opening records.
In addition to providing illegal services, Telegram is also full of information about the sale of various guns, drugs, drugs and other contraband. There are so many categories that only you can’t think of, and you can’t do it without it. It can be said that this is an online black market.
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Information about gun sales on Telegram
In addition to these black industries, Telegram also serves as a communication and propaganda tool for terrorist organizations such as ISIS.
The main reason Telegram has been so attractive to terrorist groups is its encryption and its "channel" nature, which allows users to broadcast to an unlimited number of subscribers. It not only evades the government's supervision and tracking, but also can promote ISIS to tens of thousands of users.
Although Telegram currently blocks the channels of terrorist organizations, the founder also publicly expressed his intolerance towards terrorism. But you must know that for a long time in the past, Telegram has always been laissez-faire towards the channels of terrorist organizations such as ISIS.
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The Legendary History of the Founder of Telegram
If the crimes in Telegram make you "eye-opening", then the story of its creation and rapid rise is even more amazing.
The founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov (Pavel Durov), is known as the Zuckerberg of Russia. Of course, compared to Zha, Pavel Durov is much handsomer and much younger.
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Telegram founder Pavel Durov
Like Zuckerberg, Pavel Durov, born in 1984, tasted success at a young age.
But Pavel Durov is very different from Zuckerberg.
For example, turning 100,000 rupees into an airplane and throwing it out of the window, mocking Facebook for cooperating with the Russian government’s self-censorship, and rejecting the request of relevant departments to close the homepage of Putin’s opposition group on VK…
Pavel Durov happily throws an airplane made of cash out of the window
Even in 2014, when Russian security services asked him to cooperate with an investigation into the personal information of a Ukrainian activist, Pavel Durov went so far as to post security service files online and share photos of two pet dogs wearing hoodies. photo in response.
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Documents of the security service posted online by Pavel Durov
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Respond to authorities with a dog in a hoodie
Of course, Pavel Durov's "stabbing" behavior angered the Russian regulatory authorities, and it was commonplace to be invited to drink tea, and what's more, there were unwarranted traffic escape charges.
In short, the arm could not twist the thigh, and the shares of VK were gradually acquired by funds pro-Russian government. Although Pavel Durov was the founder and CEO, he gradually lost control.
So, in 2014, Pavel Durov sold his stake and resigned as CEO.
Of course, Pavel Durov left himself a retreat.
Before leaving VK, he formed a small team of 12 engineers and developed a communication software that can not be supervised and protect user privacy and security, that is, Telegram. The original intention of this software is that Pavel Durov found that his calls with his brother were always under the surveillance of the police and wanted to get rid of this situation.
Relying on the advantages of high security and privacy, no ads, simplicity and speed, Telegram has gained 40 million users in just 8 months.
In addition, no one except Pavel Durov knew the names of the other members of the team, where they worked, and it seemed to the outside world that this was a mysterious, distributed combat team.
Although VK was "killed" by the Russian government, Telegram, the plane carrying Pavel Durov's free will, began to take off.
Although Pavel Durov suffered a lot on the road of rebellion, when Russia blocked Telegram because of his lack of cooperation, Pavel Durov still chose to be positive—mobilized users who supported Telegram to Paper airplanes were thrown in the center of Moscow to show resistance.
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Pavel Durov thanks Twitter users for participating in "Paper Airplane Movement"
Even so, Telegram was blocked one after another by Russia, Iran and other countries.
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Issued currency to raise 1.7 billion US dollars, "the first ICO in history"
In 2017, blockchain and cryptocurrency developed rapidly, and Telegram also announced the launch of TO (Telegram Open Network), a blockchain operating system that benchmarks against Ethereum.
Telegram's official token is called GRAM. According to Anton Rozenberg, a former Telegram employee, TON will help people oppressed by the government to freely transfer funds through communication applications.
The world's largest encrypted communication software with 200 million users is about to issue coins? Not only in the field of cryptocurrency, but also in the traditional capital circle.
As a result, in just two months, Telegram raised $1.7 billion, and more than 170 top investment institutions and investors, including Benchmark and Sequoia Capital, “scattered money” to Telegram. Even the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs is said to be involved.
Even because of the popularity of Telegram, it has triggered a series of private equity investment scams under its name. All in all, at that time, Telegram was a well-deserved "first ICO in history" project.
However, although the money was raised, the issuance of the currency encountered twists and turns, and the US regulatory authorities became a stumbling block for Telegram. Recently, the U.S. District Court ruled that Telegram should stop issuing its token GRAM.
To make matters worse, there are media reports that at least 10 investors hope to withdraw and get their investment back.
In other words, the 1.7 billion US dollars raised is facing the risk of being returned, and it is very likely that the bamboo basket will be empty.
In 2019, the news of Facebook Libra’s currency issuance was a sensation, even alarming the US Congress. In the eyes of many people, Telegram’s currency issuance is more reasonable and logical than Facebook’s.
One is an encrypted communication software that advocates "privacy and security", and the other is an encrypted currency that believes in "decentralization". The two have a common temperament and a genetic fit.
In addition, the Pavel Durov brothers and their team are both liberals and technology geeks, so they naturally pay attention to and favor blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
Of course, what is more practical is that Telegram has always been operating in a non-profit model, that is to say, Pavel Durov paid for public welfare to support the survival of this project.
There are many fans and users applaud, but they do not make money. This is the problem facing Telegram.
At present, the future of Telegram’s currency issuance is still uncertain, but regardless of whether the currency issuance is successful or not, Telegram is firmly tied to the currency circle.
After all, Telegram has always been the "darling" of the currency circle. Almost every blockchain project and every exchange will establish its own telegram group. This is an industry consensus and a business standard.
The reason is that, in addition to security and privacy, Telegram is more concise and convenient than WeChat and other software, and it can also accommodate more users. Groups can be easily added as long as there are external links, and each group can accommodate tens of thousands of people.
It is said that "the richest man in Bitcoin" Li Xiaolai has been fascinated by Telegram for a long time.
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Technology, Freedom and Borders, Telegram Myths
Crime, liberalism, privacy protection, cryptocurrency, there are too many keywords hovering over Telegram.
When the "Room N" incident was exposed, the cruel facts of blood and tears made people re-examine the young man who advocated liberalism, Pavel Durov, and Telegram, which pays attention to privacy protection. The problem is on the table.
"From a historical point of view, the more advanced technology is, the less personal privacy will be. While people are gaining convenience, they are also unknowingly narrowing down their privacy bit by bit." Zhang Xiaolong, the founder of WeChat, talked about Says Tech and Privacy.
What Zhang Xiaolong said is right. With the development of technology, giant companies have more and more user data and privacy, and everything is happening subtly.
"Facebook has 80% of mobile social traffic, Google has 92% of search traffic, and Amazon has more cloud services than 2nd to 5th combined. No one can beat them, they track us every step of the way, Monitoring every moment of our lives and monetizing our data."
In the American drama "Silicon Valley", the protagonist Richard's denunciation of the Internet giants is deafening.
In fact, the Facebook user data leakage scandal in 2018 has already shown the world that in front of technology and giant companies, users are transparent people with no privacy at all.
Therefore, to a certain extent, Pavel Durov and Telegram's emphasis on and protection of user privacy is invaluable. Of course, 200 million active users also fully demonstrate people's recognition of Telegram and their concern for privacy.
However, what is paradoxical is that such a software that protects user privacy and communication security has built a den of crimes invisibly.
