After criticising the Indian government for temporarily banning Telegram in India, the founder and CEO of the messaging app, Pavel Durov, has now made serious allegations against Reliance. He claims that the company is interfering with access to Telegram for users outside India through a network routing issue known as BGP hijacking.
Telegram came under scrutiny in India after allegations surfaced that some channels on the app were being used to share leaked NEET examination papers, fake study material and misleading data ahead of the re-test, prompting authorities to take actions against the platform.
Notably, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital rights advocacy group, has also citicised the government’s decision to temporarily restrict Telegram and disable certain platform features.
In a statement shared on X, the organisation described the move as a "band-aid solution" to a much larger problem and argued that shutting down an entire platform was a disproportionate response to exam-related fraud. "Shutting down Telegram is a band aid solution and is a disproportionate answer to exam fraud," IFF said.
The group questioned whether the government has the legal authority to block access to an entire platform under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. According to IFF, the law allows authorities to block access to specific pieces of information hosted online, but does not clearly permit the shutdown of an entire intermediary service used by millions of people.
Durov took to X and alleged that the disruption affected the missions ofTelegram users, including those in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He claimed that the issue appeared deliberate and mentioned Reliance had ignored multiple reports about the problem.
He wrote, “Indian telecom Reliance is sabotaging access to Telegram for millions of users OUTSIDE India (including the UAE) via a rogue method called BGP hijacking. He also alleged that the disruption could be linked to competition between Telegram and WhatsApp, adding that Reliance had business ties with Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp.
Durov said, “The sabotage seems intentional, as Reliance has ignored multiple reports. This may be part of a competitive war, as Reliance is partially owned by Meta.”
For those who unaware, the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacking is a cyberattack that affects the internet traffic of a platform and it is redirected to the wrong destination by manipulating the internet’s global routing map. It usually works, when a network operator or an attacker falsely claims ownership of a group ofIP addressesthat they actually do not control.
Notably, Durov has also urged network operators around the world to reject what he described as unauthorised routing announcements from Reliance. He said, “Network operators are advised to reject unauthorised BGP announcements from Reliance (AS18101) to prevent route hijacks and ensure stable Internet access for their users.”
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
