But because group chats and the channel features are not end-to-end encrypted, Galperin said user privacy is potentially under threat. False news often spreads via public groups, or chats, with potentially fatal effects. Artem Kliuchnikov and his family fled Ukraine just days before the Russian invasion. "And that set off kind of a battle royale for control of the platform that Durov eventually lost," said Nathalie Maréchal of the Washington advocacy group Ranking Digital Rights.
from ru