Despite Telegram's origins, its approach to users' security has privacy advocates worried. Such instructions could actually endanger people — citizens receive air strike warnings via smartphone alerts. Sebi said data, emails and other documents are being retrieved from the seized devices and detailed investigation is in progress. "The argument from Telegram is, 'You should trust us because we tell you that we're trustworthy,'" Maréchal said. "It's really in the eye of the beholder whether that's something you want to buy into." "Someone posing as a Ukrainian citizen just joins the chat and starts spreading misinformation, or gathers data, like the location of shelters," Tsekhanovska said, noting how false messages have urged Ukrainians to turn off their phones at a specific time of night, citing cybersafety.
from ca