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Telegram’s reputation as a privacy-first messaging platform is under scrutiny following a new investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and Russian outlet Important Stories.  The report reveals that the core infrastructure powering the app is managed by Viktor Vedeneev, a Russian network engineer with deep ties to companies linked to the FSB security agency and Russia’s defense sector. Vedeneev’s company controls thousands of Telegram IP addresses, key servers, and networking equipment. Court records obtained by journalists show that Vedeneev had exclusive access to Telegram’s infrastructure and was authorized to sign contracts on the company’s behalf.  However, the investigation did not find any evidence that Vedeneev’s involvement resulted in data sharing or surveillance. While no direct evidence was found that Telegram data was shared with Russian authorities, two of Vedeneev’s other companies have serviced highly sensitive government institutions, including Russia’s intelligence agencies and a research center involved in planning the invasion of Ukraine. Telegram has not been accused of wrongdoing, but the report raises questions about whether third-party infrastructure relationships could create risks to user privacy. Telegram representatives told Newsweek that “as a global company, Telegram has contracts with dozens of different service providers around the world. However, none of these service providers have access to Telegram data or sensitive infrastructure.” They further went on to say that all Telegram servers belong to the company and are maintained by employees: “Unauthorized access is impossible. Throughout its entire history, Telegram never disclosed any private messages to a third party — and its encryption has never been breached.” Security contradictions inside of Telegram Security researchers say these links expose a major contradiction between Telegram’s public image and its operational reality.  John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at The Citizen Lab, said the findings highlight a “dangerous disconnect” between user assumptions about…

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Filed under: News - @ June 11, 2025 1:19 am