π Launched just three months ago, Telegram gifts have become an internet sensation. This holiday season alone, Telegram users exchanged a record-breaking 20 million gifts πππ
π° On January 1st, we introduced the ability to transform limited-edition gifts into unique collectibles. These can be transferred within Telegram and externally as NFTs. Minting a unique gift costs just 25 Stars, which is spent on the TON blockchain fees required to mint the NFT πππ
π Our artists have designed countless versions of 21 limited-edition gifts and are already working on the next 25. The level of artistic effort invested in this project has been incredible. We got so carried away that, for some gifts, we ended up paying our artists more than the revenue they generated πππ
π΅ I hear that third-party NFT marketplaces are already working on enabling auctions for minted Telegram gifts. It will be exciting to see how this ecosystem evolves πππ
π Launched just three months ago, Telegram gifts have become an internet sensation. This holiday season alone, Telegram users exchanged a record-breaking 20 million gifts πππ
π° On January 1st, we introduced the ability to transform limited-edition gifts into unique collectibles. These can be transferred within Telegram and externally as NFTs. Minting a unique gift costs just 25 Stars, which is spent on the TON blockchain fees required to mint the NFT πππ
π Our artists have designed countless versions of 21 limited-edition gifts and are already working on the next 25. The level of artistic effort invested in this project has been incredible. We got so carried away that, for some gifts, we ended up paying our artists more than the revenue they generated πππ
π΅ I hear that third-party NFT marketplaces are already working on enabling auctions for minted Telegram gifts. It will be exciting to see how this ecosystem evolves πππ
What distinguishes the app from competitors is its use of what's known as channels: Public or private feeds of photos and videos that can be set up by one person or an organization. The channels have become popular with on-the-ground journalists, aid workers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who broadcasts on a Telegram channel. The channels can be followed by an unlimited number of people. Unlike Facebook, Twitter and other popular social networks, there is no advertising on Telegram and the flow of information is not driven by an algorithm. A Russian Telegram channel with over 700,000 followers is spreading disinformation about Russia's invasion of Ukraine under the guise of providing "objective information" and fact-checking fake news. Its influence extends beyond the platform, with major Russian publications, government officials, and journalists citing the page's posts. It is unclear who runs the account, although Russia's official Ministry of Foreign Affairs Twitter account promoted the Telegram channel on Saturday and claimed it was operated by "a group of experts & journalists." This ability to mix the public and the private, as well as the ability to use bots to engage with users has proved to be problematic. In early 2021, a database selling phone numbers pulled from Facebook was selling numbers for $20 per lookup. Similarly, security researchers found a network of deepfake bots on the platform that were generating images of people submitted by users to create non-consensual imagery, some of which involved children. "There are a lot of things that Telegram could have been doing this whole time. And they know exactly what they are and they've chosen not to do them. That's why I don't trust them," she said.
from ru