He adds: "Telegram has become my primary news source." In 2018, Russia banned Telegram although it reversed the prohibition two years later. In the past, it was noticed that through bulk SMSes, investors were induced to invest in or purchase the stocks of certain listed companies. "And that set off kind of a battle royale for control of the platform that Durov eventually lost," said Nathalie Maréchal of the Washington advocacy group Ranking Digital Rights.
from jp