Translated material
Telegram as an intermediate goal to blocking everything
Opinions of journalists and experts about the future fate of Telegram and the Russian Internet as a whole.
The possible blocking of Telegram has remained one of the main topics of discussion for several weeks now. At first, Roskomnadzor was accused of incompetence in this story and laughed at the department. But after the propaganda on the central channels and the FSB statement , the tone of the discussions became very depressive. The blocking of Telegram began to be called a settled matter, and not in Roskomnadzor, but in much higher circles.
Why do they want to and will they be able to
One of the first to express this opinion was the authors of the anonymous Telegram channel “Metodicka”. On June 25, they stated, citing their sources, that the decision to block was made in the Kremlin and agreed with Putin.
At the same time, the authors of the channel expressed doubts that the messenger could be completely blocked, unless its subscriber base was reduced. In general, they predicted several consequences for this decision.
If there was someone in the Kremlin to do this, they would have already calculated the consequences of the campaign against Telegram:
1) You won't be able to block anything. As everyone used Telegram, they will continue to use it.
2) Roskomnadzor will once again look like a department of idiot clowns, who will ultimately be blamed for failure and will want to block the messenger on Zharov’s personal initiative.
3) American corporations will earn a reputation as the main defenders of the rights of Russian Internet users.
4) Telegram itself will receive only advantages from this story in terms of positioning and reputation (including in the international market, where its Russian origin sometimes raises questions).
"Methodical"
the opinion that the idea of blocking Telegram did not belong to Roskomnadzor expressed Journalist Alexander Plyushchev also . In his opinion, Zharov is not such an influential official as to launch propaganda against the messenger on central channels.
According to Plyushchev, blocking Telegram is only an intermediate goal of the authorities.
LinkedIn was a trial balloon, they snatched it up, and they will watch how Telegram is snatched up. Next up are WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.
The nuts are turned gradually. So Telegram, it seems to me, will definitely be blocked: it is not clear how now to take back what was said. Its blocking is a step on the way to blocking other, even more popular foreign services.
Alexander Plyushchev, journalist of Ekho Moskvy
Editor-in-Chief of Mediazona Sergei Smirnov added that the Russian government wants to follow the path of China - that is, immediately block everything that it does not like - but cannot.
Of course it won’t work out like in China. There is no strength, no resources. But gradually, step by step, resources will be blocked. The biggest ones, of course. That is, there is no Facebook now, but in a year or two it will be. Or YouTube after Navalny’s new film. Progressively, to the best of my ability. At the same time, see what the reaction is, whether there are any risks.
Slow suffocation. They take one thing and set an example for everyone else. As was the case with NTV. As was the case with Khodorkovsky. This is a proven scheme. On the Internet, it was worked out on the same “Rutracker”. From social networks - on LinkedIn, which no one needs.
And now comes an important step, Telegram is gaining popularity. It's time to take up instant messengers.
Sergey Smirnov, editor-in-chief of Mediazona
that Telegram and other services could be blocked did not believe Media manager Anton Nosik . In his opinion, the threats were made by Zharov only to prove his trustworthiness, but he himself cannot make such a decision.
Because, as I have repeatedly explained in previous years, the decision to block networks of this level lies far beyond the powers of the RKN, the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, and the Government of the Russian Federation in general. There is one person in Russia whose word can “block” the entire Internet “tomorrow within a few minutes,” and his last name is never Zharov.
Anton Nosik, media manager
According to Nosik, the head of Roskomnadzor may currently lose his position due to some kind of struggle between oligarchs for control over the telecom sector.
When more influential players begin to push a non-public businessman away from the state trough, he grabs the media PR of his trustworthiness as a lifeline.
Anton Nosik, media manager
Telegram, terrorists and the FSB
Another topic for discussion was the use of instant messengers by criminals. Durov himself explained : to fight terrorism using such methods, the entire Internet will have to be blocked.
that blocking Telegram will not affect crime . agreed Internet Ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev also
Blocking the messenger as such, of course, will do nothing in terms of enhancing security. It will only create a number of inconveniences for RuNet users who are accustomed to using Telegram and feel fine with it. That's all.
Dmitry Marinichev, Internet Ombudsman under the President of the Russian Federation
Marinichev also doubted the advisability of blocking Telegram, explaining that this would only undermine the electorate’s trust in the government.
You can block it. But they are blocking it for the simple reason that everyone understands perfectly well that it will not be possible to implement this idea technologically; in any case, holes and loopholes will remain.
Now we are reaching a state where any person who uses an Internet service understands perfectly how it works and how convenient it is for him and his family. And when such unfriendly actions towards the people are committed, they simply create a big gap, a mental gap between the government and the people, which naturally does not lead to anything good.
Dmitry Marinichev, Internet Ombudsman under the President of the Russian Federation
Publisher "Roem!" Yuri Sinodov expressed the opinion that denigrating Telegram by presenting it as a terrorist messenger is the only opportunity for Roskomnadzor to somehow confront Durov in the public space.
The more Durov receives reproaches for not ratting out his users, the more he likes it, the more he gets the opportunity to broadcast a message about Telegram’s security to the outside world.
Yuri Sinodov, publisher of “Roem!”
Sinodov also criticized the structure of the Register of Information Dissemination Organizers, for which Durov does not want to provide data. He suggested that the register was invented by the FSB, but in the end it turned out to be useless.
The RKN is appointed executor and responsible for some kind of power movement without real authority to manage it. The real “beneficiaries” of the projects (the FSB) appear on them in “Sunday dad” mode: they were gone for three years, then there was laughter, jokes, fun, amusement park, terrorists, cockroaches.
This movement interferes with work and does not help security much. In the end, anyone but security forces can receive an authorization SMS to log into the Telegram of a suspected terrorist.
Yuri Sinodov, publisher of “Roem!”
Dagestani lawyer Rasul Kadiev recalled that previously security forces, on the contrary, considered the absence of gadgets to be a sign of a terrorist.
Who doesn't benefit?
Journalists, experts and ordinary Internet users generally come to the conclusion that the authorities will not be able to obtain information to be included in the register from the founder of Telegram for a number of reasons.
Durov probably already has a thought-out option in case of blocking. He has long been aware of the desire of representatives of the Russian authorities to force him to cooperate. And I think he has already developed a system so that his application, if technical domains or IP addresses are blocked, would automatically help all users bypass the blocking.
Artyom Kozlyuk, head of the Roskomsvoboda project in a conversation with Novaya Gazeta
that Durov will not make a deal with the Russian authorities confident Blogger Ilya Varlamov is also . He remembered: under the pretext of fighting terrorism, Russia had already banned certain institutions - for example, elections of governors - but this did not help.
Pavel Durov will not make any deals with the government, he will not betray his users, he will not cooperate with the intelligence services, because the secrecy of correspondence, the secrecy of personal life has nothing to do with the fight against terrorism.
Ilya Varlamov, blogger, photographer
The idea of blocking Telegram for security reasons was supported by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church. Internet preacher Hieromonk Macarius called anonymity on the Internet “the right of Satan.”
Vakhtang Kipshidze, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for Public Relations and Media, agreed with this opinion, adding that “the authorities have the right to consider legal measures aimed at combating extremism and terrorism, in particular in messengers.”
On social networks, the idea of blocking Telegram, even after reports from Channel One and statements by the FSB, is perceived negatively.
