WhatsApp, a rival messaging platform, introduced some measures to counter disinformation when Covid-19 was first sweeping the world. Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based lawyer and head of the Center for Civil Liberties, called Durov’s position "very weak," and urged concrete improvements. In the past, it was noticed that through bulk SMSes, investors were induced to invest in or purchase the stocks of certain listed companies. "This time we received the coordinates of enemy vehicles marked 'V' in Kyiv region," it added. In 2018, Russia banned Telegram although it reversed the prohibition two years later.
from hk