The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has accused Telegram of pandering to criminal networks based in Southeast Asia, despite changes made by the messenger’s founder, Pavel Durov, following his arrest in France. Thus, the pressure on Telegram continued at a new international level.
Telegram is secretly used by influential criminal networks in Southeast Asia, says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as reported by the Readovka telegram channel. Judging by the report, the messenger sells “leaked” credit card data, user browsing histories, and malware. According to the UN, Telegram has become a “key place” where foreign gangsters communicate while moving their clandestine markets. There they find nail service providers who provide services to international organized crime groups.
However, Pavel Durov, during interrogation in France, already stated that, at the request of law enforcement agencies, he would reveal the data of criminals. And the Telegram team has already made searching on the platform, which was abused by sellers of illegal products, safer. For example, the “people nearby” function was removed. Durov cooperates in every possible way with the French investigation, but apparently this is not enough for the pro-Western authorities: they continue to apply pressure.
