Telegram, the instant messaging app popular in Russia and Iran, gained popularity partly from the fact it was started by a Russian citizen. The app makes it “nearly impossible” to listen in to other users without their consent. Critics say that it is easy for a skillful security expert to penetrate the app and that Telegram gathers too much information on users allowing intelligence agencies to mine the data for the identities of dissidents. (The New York Times, May 2, 2018, by Palko Karasz)
Iran joined Russia in blocking Telegram from operating in the country claiming the app was used by pornographers and terrorists. Some 40 million Iranians used Telegram. (ars technica, May 1, 2018, by Sean Gallagher)