Telegram Reportedly Testing Service to Store Data for Identity Verification

Telegram has been testing a new service that will store users’ information and documents for verification purposes, according to Russian media reports. Telegram Passport will be used to keep personal details and copies of IDs, banking statements, and utility bills to identify users on Telegram’s blockchain platform TON.  Also read: After Telegram, Viber May Be … Read more

After Telegram, Viber May Be Blocked, Russian Minister Says

Viber may be treated like Telegram if security services are not able to obtain its encryption keys, Russia’s telecom minister said. The app offers end-to-end encryption, and is the most popular messenger in several Eastern European countries. Recently, its CEO, Michael Shmilov, said the company would not be able to hand over the keys. Also … Read more

Telegram Urges Paper Airplane Protest, Pussy Riot Activist Arrested

After a Russian court enacted an immediate ban on the popular encrypted messaging service Telegram, the feisty company began to resist. Founder Pavel Durov insisted there were ways around the prohibition, including proxies and VPNs. It appears to have had some success even though millions of IP addresses have been blocked by the government. In … Read more

Russian Court Bans Telegram, CEO Pavel Durov Defiant

Russian security services ordered Telegram to hand over access to encrypted user messages, but the messaging application (app) refused. Founder Pavel Durov didn’t bother to send lawyers to Moscow’s Tagansky court, and the court dutifully ruled against his company, taking less than 20 minutes in decreeing an immediate ban. Also read: CBS’s NCIS Los Angeles Weaves … Read more

Russian Supreme Court to Decide the Fate of Bitcoin Sites

The Supreme Court of Russia has taken upon itself the responsibility to decide a case that may become a precedent for the crypto sector. The highest judicial authority in the country has accepted an appeal against the blocking of a popular Russian analytical portal – Bitcoininfo.ru. Its decision will affect dozens of crypto websites with … Read more

Russian Reports say Crypto Entrepreneur Pavel Lerner Kidnapped in Kiev

Russian programmer and cryptocurrency investor Pavel Lerner has been kidnapped in Kiev, according to Ukrainian and Russian media reports. He is the managing director of Exmo, a major UK-based exchange popular with Russians for accepting ruble payments. Lerner is also well known in Ukraine where he has startups dealing with mining operations and blockchain technology … Read more