Russia's state telecommunications regulator said on Monday it had begun blocking access to Telegram messenger after the company refused to comply with an order to give Russian state security access to its users' secret messages. The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement on its website that it had sent telecoms operators a notification about blocking access to Telegram inside Russia. Telegram has repeatedly refused to comply with requests to give Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) access to its users' encrypted messages. Telegram's founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, said the ban would damage the quality of lives of 15 million Russians and do nothing to improve Russia's security. Telegram is widely used in countries across the former Soviet Union and Middle East.

Source: dna April 16, 2018 13:30 UTC