Durov says Telegram loses money; living costs funded by Bitcoin

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, discussed his early experiences with Bitcoin on the Lex Fridman podcast. He recalled buying millions of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin in 2013 when the price peaked around $700, betting on its long-term value.  By 2014, Bitcoin’s price had fallen to about $200, but Durov said he did not sell, […]

Telega launches as Telegram-compatible app with calling feature

A new Telegram-compatible instant messaging app named Telega has hit app stores, and it is being heavily promoted within Telegram itself. Telega claims seamless calling features and does not require a VPN to operate. It reportedly can bypass Roskomnadzor blocks on voice calls and offers parental controls to monitor a child’s account, along with a […]

Russia: Blocking foreign messenger voice services cuts scam calls by 40%

In Moscow on October 22, Russia’s Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Oleg Telniakov, said that blocking voice calls on foreign messenger services has reduced scam calls by about 40 percent within a month.  Speaking at the 24th Spectrum Forum, Telniakov noted that fraudsters increasingly turn to internet-based services after cybercrime […]

Durov Proposes Buying Louvre Jewels Stolen, to Donate to Abu Dhabi Louvre

Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, reportedly offered to repurchase the Louvre’s stolen jewels from the recent heist and donate them to the Louvre in Abu Dhabi. The proposal, reported on October 21, 2025, suggests returning the looted items to a secure institution and leveraging them to showcase cultural collaboration between France and the UAE.  The […]

Russia Maintains Restrictions on WhatsApp and Telegram

The Russian authorities have not lifted the restrictions on voice calls on Telegram and WhatsApp within the country. Official statements from the regulatory agency overseeing communications indicate that no decision has been made to restore full call functionality on these platforms.  While a number of users had reported temporary restoration of voice calls, the regulators […]

Telegram Mini Apps 2.0 Adds Full-Screen Support and Motion Tracking

Telegram has rolled out a major update to its Mini Apps ecosystem with the 2.0 release. The standout feature is full-screen support, allowing Mini Apps to switch seamlessly between portrait and landscape modes for a more immersive experience, which is especially beneficial for games and media-rich apps.  The update also introduces motion tracking to enable […]

Telegram and WhatsApp Experience Major Outages in Kuban Region Amid Internet

On October 21, 2025, Telegram and WhatsApp users in Russia’s Kuban region faced widespread service interruptions. According to data from Sboy.rf, the Krasnodar Krai accounted for 18% of complaints over a six-hour period, reporting issues with both applications’ mobile and web versions.  Similar disruptions affected WhatsApp, owned by Meta, which is classified as an extremist […]

One-Third of Brands Shift Instagram Audiences to Telegram Amid Russia’s Ad Ban

Following Russia’s ban on Instagram advertising implemented in September 2025, about 32% of brand audiences have migrated to Telegram, according to a September study by Getblogger, an MTS AdTech company. The total advertising budget redirected to other platforms between September and October reached 1.2 billion rubles.  Besides Telegram, 25% of audiences moved to VK, 20% […]

Telegram to Introduce Paid Comment Pinning on Live Streams

Telegram is developing a new feature that will allow users to participate in live streams with the option to pay for pinning their comments. Currently available only on a test server, live streams will be accessible in the “Stories” section. Viewers can spend Telegram’s internal currency, “stars,” to elevate their comments.  The more stars spent, […]

Elon Musk’s X Launches Marketplace for Inactive Usernames, Inspired by Telegram

Elon Musk’s social platform X, formerly Twitter, has launched the X Handle Marketplace, allowing Premium subscribers to request and acquire inactive usernames. The service resembles Telegram’s Fragment platform, where rare nicknames are bought and sold.  Usernames are divided into free “Priority” handles — common word combinations or alphanumeric strings — and paid “Rare” handles, priced […]

Telegram’s Shift in Data Disclosure: Fulfilling 900 US Requests in 2024

Telegram’s Shift in Data Disclosure: Fulfilling 900 US Requests in 2024

Introduction to Telegram's Data Disclosure Telegram has significantly increased its compliance with data requests from US authorities, fulfilling 900 inquiries in 2024. This shift marks a notable change in the…

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