False news often spreads via public groups, or chats, with potentially fatal effects. In 2018, Russia banned Telegram although it reversed the prohibition two years later. Telegram was founded in 2013 by two Russian brothers, Nikolai and Pavel Durov. Such instructions could actually endanger people — citizens receive air strike warnings via smartphone alerts. The next bit isn’t clear, but Durov reportedly claimed that his resignation, dated March 21st, was an April Fools’ prank. TechCrunch implies that it was a matter of principle, but it’s hard to be clear on the wheres, whos and whys. Similarly, on April 17th, the Moscow Times quoted Durov as saying that he quit the company after being pressured to reveal account details about Ukrainians protesting the then-president Viktor Yanukovych.
from ar
