1/7 In Putin’s Russia, is it possible for a private IT company to defy the state and win an unequal battle? It seems unlikely, but that is what happened Thursday when the state watchdog announced it was lifting a ban on the popular Telegram messaging app wapo.st/2NtuZn7
2/7 Telegram blogs became an important source of news in times when the TV is under state control. Opinion leaders started their blogs there, protesters used it to organize demonstrations and millions of subscribers communicated without any censorship.
3/7 What’s more, Telegram became the main messenger for state officials to communicate with each other and with a larger audience
4/7 Putin’s relations with the Web are complex. He has alleged that the Internet is an American plot. On the other hand, like the rest of his generation, he remembers how the Soviet Union lost the technological race and the Cold War after falling behind the United States in IT
5/7 Unlike in China or Turkey, Russia’s leaders are reluctant to block major international platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Wikipedia. The relatively young Telegram seemed an easier target to demonstrate to others that they needed to obey.
6/7 In Russia, oppressive initiatives do not always start from the very top. Often, mid-level officials are looking for ways to display their patriotism. Thus began a race between the state and Telegram’s programmers.
