At its heart, Telegram is little more than a messaging app like WhatsApp or Signal. But it also offers open channels that enable a single user, or a group of users, to communicate with large numbers in a method similar to a Twitter account. This has proven to be both a blessing and a curse for Telegram and its users, since these channels can be used for both good and ill. Right now, as Wired reports, the app is a key way for Ukrainians to receive updates from the government during the invasion. Such instructions could actually endanger people — citizens receive air strike warnings via smartphone alerts. So, uh, whenever I hear about Telegram, it’s always in relation to something bad. What gives? Telegram was founded in 2013 by two Russian brothers, Nikolai and Pavel Durov. Perpetrators of such fraud use various marketing techniques to attract subscribers on their social media channels.
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