New rules for Telegram: Ukrainian authorities want to take control of the messenger
Mykola Kniazhytskyi, MP from the European Solidarity party, initiates a bill to regulate Telegram and similar platforms in Ukraine.
“The problem with Telegram is not really a media problem. Its problem is that it is a Russian network, which, nevertheless, is actively promoted by the Ukrainian authorities as the main source of information for Ukrainians. And it turns out to be a very strange situation: on the one hand, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine directly says that it is necessary to stop using Russian networks like Telegram, and the SBU, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Security and Defense Council and other bodies make a joint statement about the use of Telegram by Russian special services. But on the other hand, these same bodies use the same Telegram as an official source of information for Ukrainians,” Kniazhytskyi wrote on his Facebook page.
Knyazhytsky also reminded that over the past two years, Telegram has become the main platform from which Ukrainians learn news.
“A kind of alternative to a round-the-clock telethon. Which is of Russian origin, cooperates with the Kremlin authorities, and is praised for its constructive cooperation by Putin himself,” he added.
However, the deputy emphasizes that the bill does not propose blocking Telegram, but introduces “approximately the same regulation as established by law for platforms such as YouTube.” According to Kniazhytskyi, this bill is intended to fill a gap in the Law on Media, which regulates all types of media except for platforms like Telegram.
Knyazhytskyi highlights 4 main points of his bill:
- Platforms must respond to the dissemination of the same content through them that is already prohibited through other media (including YouTube and online media).
- We are talking about pornography, drug propaganda, glorification of fascism, justification of Russian aggression, etc. The list of prohibitions remains the same as it is now, and this draft law does not change it.
- The platforms are obliged to disclose their ownership structure and sources of funding at the request of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting, just as is currently provided for other media and services.
- If the ownership structure or sources of funding of the platform are found to be non-transparent, the platform cannot be used by government agencies and financial institutions that process personal data of Ukrainians. Such platforms and related services may not be installed on any devices used for business purposes
The security and defense forces should have specifics of their activities due to their nature, so restrictions and prohibitions on the use of platforms with opaque ownership do not apply to them. Rather, they can be applied if it is established by a government resolution.
