Telegram: We Rejected Iran's Request for Spying on Citizens

Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, stated that he rejected Iran's request for cooperation in 'spying on its citizens,' which he claims is the reason for the app being 'filtered.' On October 20, the Iranian Ministry of Communications asserted that it had not taken any action to filter Telegram. However, on the same day, the 'Gerdab' group, affiliated with the Organized Crime Investigation Center, issued warnings about certain features in Telegram. Durov tweeted, 'Iranian officials asked to use Telegram to spy on their citizens. We cannot do such a thing and will never assist them in this matter.' The ISNA news agency quoted Mohammad Reza Farnaghizad, the director of public relations at the Ministry of Communications, stating that the ministry had not taken any action to filter Telegram. In recent hours, reports of 'slowness,' 'disruption,' and 'filtering' of Telegram have been reflected in both social media and Iranian news agencies. Although this is not the first time Telegram has faced disruptions or news about its filtering has emerged, Durov's comments regarding 'Iran's request for spying' have raised new ambiguities. These issues arise at a time when 'Gerdab,' a group linked to the Organized Crime Investigation Center, has warned about certain features in the Telegram messaging app. The center, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), claims its purpose is to 'monitor and investigate organized crimes related to terrorism, espionage, economic and social issues in cyberspace.' The IRGC-affiliated center has warned about creating channels on Telegram, while a news agency close to the same military entity recently created a channel on this messaging app. 'Gerdab' has raised concerns about features such as the ability to create stickers, build bots, and establish channels. In part of its report, the center noted that 'some hostile websites have launched channels on Telegram, an action that can be assessed as part of the enemy's infiltration project.' The Organized Crime Investigation Center has asked the Ministry of Communications to 'think of a solution' and 'resolve the issue with the managers of the mentioned software.' Pavel Durov tweeted that Iranian officials wanted to 'read and censor private messages.' Following reactions and the news of Telegram's filtering in Iran, Durov stated on Twitter that 'he has not made any agreements with any government on this planet.' Durov, one of the most prominent Russian internet entrepreneurs, previously rejected requests from the Russian government to transfer user data from the 'VKontakte' network, which he also founded and is the most popular social network in Russia. Over the past months, Telegram has gained significant popularity among Iranian users following the filtering of many major foreign messaging apps. Telegram had previously described the statements of the Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace of Iran regarding hosting 30% of Iranian users' data in Iran as '100% incorrect.'