For Oleksandra Tsekhanovska, head of the Hybrid Warfare Analytical Group at the Kyiv-based Ukraine Crisis Media Center, the effects are both near- and far-reaching. Sebi said data, emails and other documents are being retrieved from the seized devices and detailed investigation is in progress. Although some channels have been removed, the curation process is considered opaque and insufficient by analysts. For example, WhatsApp restricted the number of times a user could forward something, and developed automated systems that detect and flag objectionable content. 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 pl