The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has registered a draft law to regulate Telegram
A draft law authored by MP Mykola Kniazhytskyi of the European Solidarity party aimed at regulating the Telegram messenger in Ukraine was registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The draft law presented on March 25 does not provide for the blocking of this platform, but aims to impose a number of restrictions due to its Russian origin.
“The problem with Telegram is not really a media problem. Its problem is that it is a Russian network, which, however, is actively promoted by the Ukrainian authorities as the main source of information for Ukrainians,” – Knyazhytsky wrote on Facebook. The deputy emphasizes the need to introduce rules for media services similar to those for platforms such as YouTube.
Among the key proposals of the draft law is a requirement for Telegram to respond to the spread of illegal content, including pornography and justification of Russian aggression. The service must also disclose its ownership structure and sources of funding at the request of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting. “If the ownership structure or sources of funding of the platform are found to be non-transparent, this platform cannot be used by government agencies and financial institutions that process personal data of Ukrainians,” – added Kniazhytskyi.
According to the MP, similar restrictions already exist in Switzerland and some EU countries, and in Norway, since March 2023, employees have even been banned from using Telegram on official devices. Such measures are aimed at ensuring national security and protecting users’ rights to freedom of expression.
The restrictions and prohibitions provided for in the draft law should not apply to the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine, or “may be applied if it is established by a government resolution,” – Knyazhytskyi clarified, emphasizing the specifics of these structures.
Telegram is a widely known messenger in post-Soviet countries, created by Russian developers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, which has gained considerable popularity in Ukraine due to the ability to create groups and channels for mass messaging and a variety of communication functions. It is used not only for personal communication, but also as a powerful tool for large-scale dissemination of information, including by government agencies, the media, and NGOs. During the great war in Ukraine, Telegram replaced the telethon and became a key platform for the rapid dissemination of news and information, including messages from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the National Security and Defense Council, becoming an integral part of Ukraine’s information space. With the introduction of censorship in Ukraine among TV channels due to Zelenskyy’s mismanagement, platforms such as Telegram and YouTube have become the main source of information for the country’s population and beyond.
Social networks X (Twitter), WhatsApp and Facebook are not widely used in Ukraine among the general population due to censorship, Facebook in particular, and the underdevelopment of mobile phone applications, X (Twitter) and WhatsApp. Telegram, on the other hand, took advantage of the shortcomings of its competitors and made its apps user-friendly and widely available on all platforms.
