Be careful: war propaganda via Telegram

War propaganda via Telegram: The war in Ukraine is also an information war. Channels critical of the government have been switched off in Russia, and state control of the media means that it is no longer possible to obtain information in Russia that has not been approved by the government. Already at the beginning of the war, Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor banned the use of terms such as "attack", "invasion" and "declaration of war" against Ukraine in reporting. We reported about it here.

As reported, non-Russian media are now also at risk - the new Russian media law has been in force since March 5, 2022, which punishes the spread of alleged false information about the Russian armed forces with high fines and up to 15 years in prison. Journalists are not the only ones affected. The Foreign Office also warns against private statements on social media.

Telegram and its role in the war in Ukraine

The Telegram messenger service has become increasingly important since Russia invaded Ukraine. The app is much more important in Russia than Twitter and Facebook. It is estimated that one in four Russian residents has an account. Here the Russian government and the state media can distribute their propaganda undisturbed without having to fear fact checks or deletion. With the group function, users can communicate with each other publicly - and also specifically spread fake news. Russia's war against Ukraine is being fought not only with weapons, but also with information and misinformation. Even Telegram founder Pavel Durov warned in a statement that Telegram channels are increasingly becoming a source of unverified information about Ukrainian events. ( HERE ) and ( HERE )

Misinformation about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is often

For example, Russian Parliament Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin's claim on March 4 that Zelensky had left the country and was in Poland was a fake. Here, too, the news was spread uncontrollably via Telegram.

And a user who posed as the Ukrainian president two days after the Russians invaded Ukraine and called on the Ukrainian soldiers to surrender via Telegram was also a fake, as the real Zelenskyi made clear on his official Telegram channel. However, the fake account reached 20,000 users before it was shut down. This is another example of how quickly and uncontrollably fake news spreads on Telegram.  

The danger 

Olexandra Zechanowska from the Ukraine Crisis Media Center organization in Kiev shows how dangerous the process on Telegram can be. Liability has always been a problem for Telegram, which is why it was so popular with right-wing extremists and terrorists around the world even before the war. For example, someone pretending to be a Ukrainian can not only spread false information via Telegram, but also use the channel for espionage and collect data. For example, about the location of shelters. Ukrainians have been asked via Telegram to turn off their cell phones at certain times as a cybersecurity measure. During this time, people could not be warned about air strikes via their smartphones and their lives were put in danger by this misinformation. ( Source )

Measures against Russian war propaganda

As already mentioned, Telegram founder Pavel Durov also admitted that his platform cannot check all channels. He has also announced that it is possible to restrict some. However, this did not happen because users complained. Other platforms such as Facebook and Twitter or the messaging platform WhatsApp are trying harder to combat misinformation and are taking measures.

Twitter is now also flagging tweets and accounts that spread links to content from state-affiliated Belarusian media. Since Belarus is a Russia ally, there are doubts about the credibility of information from state-controlled media. As was previously the case with Russian state-controlled media, the move is intended to keep the visibility of unreliable content low. ( HERE )

Facebook also expanded its measures in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on March 9, 2022 and published:

• We have blocked access to RT and Sputnik in the EU and UK, and downgraded the content of Russian state-controlled media's Facebook pages and Instagram accounts, making them more difficult to find on our platforms.
• We are updating Community Help as a central resource on Facebook to provide Ukrainians and others in the region with reliable information from local UN and Red Cross organizations. This includes information about where to get medical help, how to stay safe and how to find support.
• We have established a Special Operations Center to provide ongoing response to activity on our platforms. It is staffed by experts, including native Russian and Ukrainian speakers, to closely monitor our platforms around the clock and act as quickly as possible.
• We are constantly monitoring the situation on site and will adapt our measures accordingly. We reported about it here.

WhatsApp is also taking action. The messaging platform began to combat misinformation more intensively in the wake of the corona pandemic. For example, WhatsApp limited the number of redirects and developed algorithms to detect offensive content. ( Source )

And Telegram?

Controlling measures would be urgently needed here. Even before the war, Telegram was so popular with right-wing extremists and terrorists around the world, says Oleksandra Zechanowska. The messenger service is used as a one-sided channel for disseminating news without contradicting fake news.

Telegram has around 500 million users. They can express their opinion here, no matter how absurd or dangerous it may be. Hate messages included. There is no external fact checking and hardly any moderation. There are no measures in sight to take measures against disinformation. Rather, according to Telegram spokesman Remi Vaughn, it is the users' responsibility to double-check what they read. Oleksandra Matviyitschuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties organization, considers this attitude to be “irresponsible”. ( Source )

Source: Standard.at , n-tv , Reuters