As the French investigation unfolds and the founder and CEO of TelegramPaul Durovremains in police custody, it is best to first try to understand the security level of one of the most used messaging apps in the world and the reasons why the 39-year-old born in Russia was arrested. A premise is necessary: among the various charges, Durov is accused of what he assures his users, that is, the maximum protection of their data, which in reality would have been violated for not having moderated properly many of the contents that users exchange daily on the platform.
What is encryption?
Those who regularly use WhatsApp and Telegram know that the basis of chats between users is what is called encryption: in general terms it is a system that protects all sensitive and non-sensitive data from possible computer theft, modification or other violations that protect people from all risks. There is a secret code that needs a unique digital key to be unlocked: as Google, the most used search engine in the world, reminds us, “Encrypted data can be protected when at rest on a computer or in transit between computers or during processing. Encryption is the process of protecting information or data through the use of mathematical models.”
The method used on Telegram
As you can read in the Telegram FAQ, to the generic question from users about how data is encrypted, the app founded by Durov responds that it is supported two different levels Of encryption: the first one is called server-client encryption and is used in private and group chats while secret chats also have a higher level of Client-client encryption. “TAll data, regardless of type, is encrypted in the same way, whether it is text, media or files”, explain the developers. To the further question of users on why one can trust Telegram, the answer is also clear: “When using a secret chat, you don’t need to trust anyone – just make sure the key displayed in the secret chat matches the one in your friend’s secret chat settings.”
Durov’s arrest
Even though for all the other countries in the world, currently, Durov would be a free citizen, the Ofmin (office that fights violence against minors) believes that the founder was not so vigilant committing various crimes including fraud, scams, drug trafficking but also paedophile crimes. In practice, at the centre of the French investigation are the Telegram control systems that according to the French have evidently not been so effective but have given space to numerous illegalities. A hot topic is linked precisely to the control, perhaps it would be better to say lacking, in the various interactions between users. “All Telegram chats and groups are private territory of their respective participants. We do not execute any requests related to them”says the answer on how to remove any illegal content. The intervention, in fact, only occurs on content that is “publicly available”.
Telegram’s “false security”
Some computer experts explain that, for those who really want to be 99.9% safe, there are other messaging applications considered better, such as Signal, just to name a few.
So, why does Telegram have such a reputation? It’s probably mainly a question of the brand, its name, “which was built in an era when there was no end-to-end encryption. Over time, this is no longer the case. It has remained a myth,” he explained to the Courier Prof. Riccardo Meggiato, expert and consultant in Digital Forensics and cyber-security.