Telegram becoming 'new dark web,' used for child exploitation: Centre
What's the story
The Indian government has accused messaging platform Telegram of becoming a "new dark web" for various illegal activities. The Centre made these submissions in its affidavit opposing Telegram's petition challenging the government's decision to ban its operations in India till June 22. In its affidavit, the Centre claims that Telegram is becoming a major hub for distributing leaked exam papers like NEET, child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM), drug trafficking, terrorism propaganda and financial fraud.
Privacy concerns
Privacy features allow users to hide IDs
The government expressed concerns over Telegram's privacy features, which allow users to hide phone numbers and IDs. This, it argued, makes it difficult to trace real identities. "Criminals have rapidly adopted Telegram to post links on channels that connect to dark web forums through deep web links," the Centre said. "It has been observed that Telegram is being exploited for illegal activities, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, extremism, terrorism, child exploitation, and cyber scams and frauds, primarily due to privacy features."
Extremist propaganda
Misinformation, violent content being spread on Telegram
The government has also alleged that Telegram channels are used to spread violent extremist content and misinformation. The affidavit states, "Extremist violent acts performed by terror organizations and other radical content is being propagated by Telegram groups and channels by entities associated with terrorist organizations to create misinformation or destabilize public order."
Cybercrime hub
Spike in cybercrime activity on Telegram
The affidavit also highlights how Telegram has become a hub for cybercriminal activity. It said fraudsters are creating fake accounts with false identities on the platform for financial scams and data breaches. The Centre cited data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, noting a sharp increase in complaints of cyber fraud through Telegram.
Piracy issues
Piracy concerns due to rampant distribution of pirated content
The government also flagged the use of Telegram channels for selling mule bank accounts, which are used to receive and transfer proceeds of cybercrime and money laundering operations. Besides cybercrime, the Centre also raised concerns over Telegram channels being used to distribute pirated movies and other copyrighted web series. This raises intellectual property concerns and causes losses to content creators, it said.
Ban
Telegram moved HC after Centre temporarily banned the platform
Telegram moved the Delhi High Court after the Centre temporarily banned the platform ahead of the NEET retest on June 21 to prevent paper leaks. "Such an approach, if upheld, would enable indiscriminate suspension of digital platforms, severely undermining constitutional protections of free speech and access to information," the plea said. Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov also slammed the ban. He argued that it would not "stop anything," as those responsible for the leak would have already moved to other apps.