Telegram Will Use Built-In Systems to Bypass Ban in Russia, Says CEO Pavel Durov

The chief executive of the Telegram messenger service, Pavel Durov, said on Friday the application will use built-in systems to circumnavigate a ban in Russia imposed by a court earlier on Friday.

He said on his page in the VK social network that he still cannot guarantee that Telegram users will retain access to the messenger without using virtual private networks (VPNs).

As mentioned, a Russian court on Friday ordered that access to the Telegram messenger service should be blocked in Russia, Russian news agencies reported, heralding communication disruption for scores of users - including government officials.

The decision came a week after Russia's state communication watchdog filed a lawsuit to limit access to Telegram messaging app following the company's refusal to give Russian state security services access to its users messages.

With more than 200 million users worldwide, the mobile messaging app allows users to communicate via encrypted messages which cannot be read by third parties, including government authorities.

Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram, had repeatedly said his company would not hand over encryption keys to Russian authorities as it does not share confidential user data with anyone.

In Russia, Telegram is increasingly popular as an app for mobile devices and desktops - not only among ordinary people but is widely used by authorities.

© Thomson Reuters 2018