THE COMPLICATED CASE OF PAVEL DUROV...
In late August, Pavel Durov, the billionaire creator of the wildly popular Telegram social messaging app, was arrested by French authorities. Durov, who is a Franco-Russian citizen, has been indicted on charges of complicity in child abuse and obstruction of justice for failing to properly police child predators on the app in which he still maintains controlling interest. The case is a landmark one, marking an "unprecedented test of the power of governments over multinational tech companies," the Washington Post reports.
It has also raised questions about the security of communications on the app. Ostensibly, experts say, a wide variety of communications on Telegram are secure. In truth, however, only a small fraction are end-to-end encrypted, allowing governmental authorities – particularly in Russia, where Telegram remains operational despite the closure of many other communications platforms – to keep a close eye on political opponents and dissidents. (Meduza, August 24, 2024; Washington Post, August 28, 2024)
...UPENDS THE KREMLIN'S MILITARY COMMS
The Durov case, in turn, could have significant geopolitical implications. As Politico notes, Telegram has become a major communications medium for the Russian military, which has struggled to erect its own secure system for coordination. While specialists are now said to be working on an alternative to Telegram, the Russian military has so far "not shown any real interest" in creating its own dedicated system, relying heavily on the social messaging app instead. As such, a potential disruption in the functioning of Telegram would significantly complicate coordination among Russian troops in Ukraine.
It would also throw a wrench into the Kremlin's propaganda operations. Telegram has emerged as a powerful broadcast medium for pro-war messaging disseminated both by official sources and by a community of sympathetic activists. Popular reaction on the app has reflected this fact. "They practically detained the head of communication of the Russian army," one Russian military blogger channel protested in response to Durov's arrest. (Politico, August 26, 2024)
LOOKING FOR DETERRENCE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES
In its efforts to head off a wider war in the Middle East, the U.S. military is trying a very different messaging tack: reaching out to Lebanon's eligible bachelors and bachelorettes. A recent campaign by the United States Central Command involved placing ads on popular dating app Tinder warning users to "not take up arms against the United States," and making clear that the United States "will protect its partners in the face of threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies."
The ad, which was eventually removed, has stirred considerable controversy. Skeptics have expressed scorn at the effort, and doubt that the underlying message will have much of an impact. Other observers, however, have taken a more charitable view of the utility of the effort, provided "it's part of a long-term campaign supporting a continuous policy, and not a one-off ad buy." (Washington Post, August 27, 2024)
IRAN SETS ITS SIGHTS ON THE INTERNET... AGAIN
Iran's clerical regime is setting the stage for an intensification of its efforts to police cyberspace, and of content within it. The country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has publicly told officials that there is a need to "regulate" cyberspace still further – laying the groundwork for a further tightening of what are already among the strictest internet controls on the planet. "Some do not understand or do not want to understand, but I have already said before that virtual space needs to be regulated in order to be turned into an opportunity and not a threat," Khamenei has instructed the country's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian and his cabinet. (Reuters, August 27, 2024)
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