Ukraine bans the use of Telegram on government-issued devices, amid concerns of Russian surveillance
In an important step to protect its national security, Ukraine has banned government and military officials from using the Telegram messaging system on government-issued devices.
The decision comes amid growing concerns about Russian surveillance.
The National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC), an important coordination and control body in the field of cybersecurity, has decided to limit the use of Telegram in government agencies, military formations, and critical infrastructure facilities, according to the National’s website. Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
During the meeting held by the NCCC on Thursday, the Head of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, gave evidence that Russian special services have access to personal communications of Telegram users, even deleted messages, and their personal data.
“I have always stood for freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not a matter of freedom of speech, it is a matter of national security,” he said.
During the meeting, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine and the General Staff of the Armed Forces highlighted that Telegram is used by enemy forces in activities including cyberattacks, phishing, malware distribution, tracking users’ location, and even preparing missile strikes.
In order to reduce these threats, a decision was taken to ban the installation and use of Telegram on the official devices of government officials, military personnel, security and defense sector personnel, and businesses that use critical infrastructure. However, the ban will not affect officials who use Telegram as part of their duties.
At the same time, many decisions were taken to improve the cyber security sector in the country — a national plan to improve the role of women in cyber security and gender equality was introduced, as well as the introduction of an automated platform for monitoring the implementation of the Cybersecurity Strategy Ukraine (CyberTracker), which will improve strategic planning in this area.
Other issues aimed at strengthening national cyber security were also discussed in the closed session. Based in Dubai, UAE, Telegram was founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov.
