India blocked Telegram until June 22 due to Fraud scandal

The Indian authorities have blocked the Telegram messenger until June 22 due to the use of the platform for fraudulent actions against candidates taking the national entrance exam to medical universities (NEET). This was reported on June 16 by the Reuters news agency, citing the country's Ministry of Education.

It is clarified that the government has announced restrictions on access to the messenger for a certain and limited period. The decision was made in accordance with the provisions of the law on information technology, which allows blocking online resources in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of the state.

"The platform was used to defraud candidates," the agency said in an official statement.

The government said it "regrets the inconvenience caused" by blocking the app, but stressed that it was an "absolutely necessary" measure.

No doubt about it: Telegram and WhatsApp traffic in Russia has decreased significantly

Market participants expect an even greater tightening of the blocking of these messengers.

Bloomberg reported in January that Meta (recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation and banned) was accused of fraud due to access to correspondence in its WhatsApp messenger (owned by Meta, recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation and banned). It was noted that the company uses end-to-end encryption technology, in which only the participants in the correspondence have access to messages, but users believe that this information is false.