The Indian government has launched an investigation into the social media app Telegram over concerns it could be used for criminal activities such as extortion and gambling. The probe follows the arrest of the app’s CEO Pavel Durov in France over the weekend.
Telegram faces possible ban in India
According to the latest news Reports According to Indian media, the investigation is being led by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The report indicated that the Telegram application has more than 5 million registered users in India, making it one of the most used messaging platforms in the country.
However, the government’s concerns stem from allegations that the app’s peer-to-peer communication features have been exploited by “bad actors to facilitate illicit activities.”
Reports suggest that Telegram’s lack of an office in India could complicate the government’s efforts to regulate and investigate the platform, despite the app complying with India’s IT rules.
Reports suggest that the app could face a potential ban in India depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Durov is accused of enabling criminal activity.
The investigation in India took on added significance after Durov was detained at Paris Le Bourget airport on Saturday, Reported Written by Bitcoinist.
Durov, who holds citizenship of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis, is reportedly accused of failing to curb criminal activity on his platform in the European country.
French authorities have suggested that Telegram’s encryption tools have allowed criminals to “flourish” on the app. However, Telegram has responded to the claim, saying the company complies with EU laws and content moderation policies, and calling the allegations “absurd.”
The arrest reportedly sparked a backlash from Russian politicians, with some suggesting it may be “politically motivated.” Tatyana Moskalkova, Russia’s top human rights official, claimed that French authorities arrested Durov because they wanted to shut down the censorship-free platform.
Toncoin (TON) price drop
Amid these growing legal troubles facing the messaging app, Toncoin (TON), the cryptocurrency originally developed by Telegram, has seen losses of over 20% in the seven-day timeframe and is currently trading at $5.39.
However, on a 24-hour timeframe, the token also saw a price drop of around 8%, further illustrating the bearish sentiment surrounding TON price among investors after the news broke over the weekend.
Queen Gecko Data The token also appears to have seen a 66% drop in trading volume and a 34% gap from its all-time high in June of this year.
Featured image by DALL-E, chart by TradingView.com
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