Is Telegram banned in India?

Telegram has been spotlighted in the present days due to certain trouble.

This comes after August 24, when Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris over his app’s moderation policies, which reportedly include failure to prevent criminal activities on the platform. 

After four days in jail, Durov appeared in court and was released on bail of 5 million euros.

What are the actual problems of this messaging platform? If the controversies are true, will it be banned in India? Come to discuss.

The controversies Regarding Telegram

controversies Regarding Telegram Blog banner

There’s a tantalising mystery brewing in the previous days about Telegram. 

Telegram, a widely used messaging app that was launched in 2013 by Durov and his brother, Nikolai, is undergoing certain controversies due to its alleged role of criminal activities.

Durov has been arrested for alleged offences regarding drug trafficking,  fraud, cyber bullying and organised crime. 

The Indian Government Launches An Extortion and Gambling Investigation Against Telegram. 

Betting & Extortion and Gambling

The Indian government is currently conducting an investigation to learn more about the alleged criminal acts carried out using the app. A government official stated in a media article that the most common cases are extortion and gambling.

The investigation is conducted by the authorities such as the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of MeitY ( Electronics and Information Technology)

The charges include the platform’s involvement in supporting fraudsters, money launderers, drug traffickers, the distribution of copyrighted information, and the proliferation of child sexual exploitation content. 

Unlike other messaging apps, Telegram allows an individual chat group to have up to 200,000 members. This causes misleading actions to propagate quickly.

In India, the decision to ban Telegram is based on the final investigation report. As a result of this investigation, is telegram banned in India or not? Let’s wait.

Even though, in certain points telegram is better than other messaging apps;

The benefits of Telegram

People frequently prefer Telegram over WhatsApp because of its emphasis on privacy with features such as global popularity, Secret chats, greater file sharing, more adjustable group settings, and a cloud-based messaging system that allows users to read their messages from numerous devices.

  1.   Users don’t need a SIM card to log in into Telegram

Users are able to communicate with other users on telegram even if they don’t have the contact number of others. This feature ensures the privacy of the user’s contact number.

  1.   Limitless server storage

Telegram provides unlimited storage. In Telegram the data will be stored in the cloud. Users can login and out of various devices at the same time without worrying about losing their data.

  1.   Media Compression

Users can prefer to compress the media file or send the uncompressed version.

  1.   Multi-platform support

Telegram is accessible through windows phone, Mac os, windows pc, Android, ios, and can be accessed through any type of browser.

  1.   Secret Chat

It is a type of end to end encrypted chat in which the user can set a self-delete timer. The messages will be involuntarily destructed once the timer hits.

  1. The number of group member:

As said above, in  telegram, a maximum of 200,000 members are allowed to join in a group.

The Impact of a Telegram Ban on Marketing

Group and Channel: 
  1. Telegram is a popular medium for direct client contact utilised by numerous organisations via groups and channels. So you can form a large group that will assist you market your goods to a large audience. It saves time while also being effective.
  2. In order to engage with specific audiences, Telegram provides freedom in creating niche groups. so that you can market a product to the exact audience who are considering our goods or services.
Marketing friendly Features:
  1. Telegram offers marketing-friendly features like bots and automation, which can improve engagement and expedite client communications. These functionalities aid enterprises in effectively handling correspondence and delivering customised experiences on a large scale.
  2. Telegram is often used by companies for customer service, providing a direct and immediate channel for addressing customer inquiries and issues. Its features, such as bots and automated responses, help businesses manage high volumes of interactions efficiently and offer personalised support.
Insights: 
  1. Companies might no longer have access to Telegram analytics and data, which they require to evaluate customer behaviour and advertising effectiveness. It becomes difficult to make wise decisions and successfully optimise marketing tactics in the absence of these insights.

A ban would force the use of different platforms or methods, which could have an impact on response times and customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, it could be difficult to locate comparable tools and capabilities on other platforms, which could temporarily lower the effectiveness of marketing and the calibre of customer support.

Personal Insight

While Telegram’s features and privacy benefits make it a popular choice among users, the Indian government’s scrutiny underscores serious concerns about the app’s role in illicit activities. 

Telegram has alleged involvement in share market fraud among other things.  The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) discovered a stock price manipulation operation running using the Telegram app.

If the investigation confirms the platform’s involvement in such crimes, it could lead to a ban, impacting millions of users and potentially reshaping digital communication in India. 

Currently telegram is not banned in India. If the allegations come true, it may happen.

Pavel Valeryevich Durov is the CEO of Telegram. He is a russian born French. 

Durov , the CEO of Telegram is accused of complicity and negligence involving Telegram’s use for crimes such as drug trafficking, child sexual exploitation and fraud.

Telegram is registered as a company in the British Virgin Islands and as an LLC in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, China, cuba, Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Spain, and Thailand

No. Telegram is not an Indian App. Telegram Messenger LLP is an independent nonprofit company based in Berlin, Germany.

Go settings, click privacy and security, tap phone number, 

Select ‘Nobody’ under ‘who can see my phone number.’

WhatsApp has end-to-end encryption and requires a phone number for contacting. Telegram stores everything on their servers, and you can talk to someone just by their username.

If you share your live location in any chat or turn on ‘Make Myself Visible’ in People Nearby, Telegram will use your data to display your location to those users with whom you are sharing it, even when the app is closed—for as long as you keep these optional features activated.

By signing up for Telegram, you accept Privacy Policy of telegram and agree not to: Use telegram service  to send spam or scam users. 

Promote violence on publicly viewable Telegram channels, bots, etc, Post illegal pornographic content on publicly viewable Telegram channels, bots, etc are not allowed in Telegram.