So much for personal security in telegram

Since we use telegram for our community I think this news is relevant:
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=nl&sl=ru&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Frkn.gov.ru%2Fnews%2Frsoc%2Fnews55932.htm
It comes to this that Telegram has to comply to the russian secret services within 2 weeks to hand over encryption keys…
I think we should look for an alternative…

Maybe Signal can be that alternative? or Wire

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Hi Rob,
Thank you for sharing. Nevertheless, I would like to point out that messages should always be deleted, once they are read: today true, tomorrow not that much! Signal should be a good choice. However, do u think this is real, not fake news?

I found the news on a techsite in the netherlands.
As far as I can judge, this is not fake. The source is on the official russian gov website.
I can’t find a (reliable) reaction from telegram yet…
On Bloomberg website it is stated that telegram will appeal against this outcome.

If you go to the official announcement on gov.ru, you will see a docx. I put that doc on google translate and it translates as:

Notification
on non-fulfillment of the obligations stipulated in Article 10.1 of the Federal Law “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection”
of March 20, 2013 No. 501
We inform you about the fact that the organizer of the information dissemination in the Internet network does not perform the Telegram Messenger Limited Liability Partnership, which carries out activities to ensure the operation of information systems and (or) programs for electronic computers that are designed and (or) used for reception, transmission, delivery and (or) processing of electronic messages of users of the Internet network, with respect to communication Internet services: telegram.org, web.telegram.org, t.me the duties set forth in Article 4.1.1, paragraph 4.1.1 Law of July 27, 2006 No. 149-FZ “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection”.
Non-fulfillment of duties was expressed in the fact that Telegram Messenger Limited Liability Partnership did not provide the federal executive body in the field of security with the information necessary to decode received, transmitted, delivered and (or) processed electronic messages.
The fact of non-fulfillment of duties was confirmed by the decision of the justice of the peace of the judicial section No. 383 of the Meshchansky district of the city of Moscow in case No. 5-1794 / 2017 of October 16, 2017, which entered into force on December 12, 2017.
In accordance with Part 1 of Article 15.4 of Federal Law No. 149-FZ of July 27, 2006 “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection” we inform you of the necessity to perform the above duties within 15 days from the receipt of this notice.
In the event that the corresponding duties are fulfilled, the organizer of the dissemination of information on the Internet must submit a notice on the performance of the established duties, specifying the method of their execution and enclosing copies of documents confirming the fulfillment of the specified duties, electronically to the e-mail address 97-fz_in@rkn.gov. ru or on paper medium to the address: 109074, Moscow, Kitaygorodsky Proyezd, 7 p. 2.
We draw attention to the fact that in the event that the information dissemination organizer fails to perform the information in the Internet on the date specified in this notice, the obligations provided for in Article 10.1 of Federal Law No. 149-FZ of July 27, 2006 “On Information, Information Technologies and Information Protection” to the information resources of the information dissemination organizer in the “Internet” network, is limited to the telecommunications operator providing services to provide access to the Internet network on the basis of a decision that entered into legal force courts before the performance of such duties.
This Notice is signed by the enhanced qualified electronic signature of the Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Communication, Information Technologies and Mass Communications.

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That reaction from Telegram was more than expected, however one should always play safe. One again: thank you.

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Greetings @robb

Well that matter of how much we want to share

I like, in this sense 2 alternatives,

The simple Tox https://tox.chat/

And the most complete Riot https://about.riot.im/what-is-riot/
(recommended by some friends we have in LACNIC)

A good topic to try

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Hi Adrián, thank you for sharing. I will definitely have a look; i had never heard of those.

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