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Showing posts with label Malicious Content. Show all posts
Telegram
App Store Malicious Content Mobile Security Social Media App Telegram

Security Analysts Observe Massive Surge in Telegram App Downloads Following Durov Arrest

 

The arrest of Telegram creator and CEO Pavel Durov in France is beginning to have an influence on the app's popularity and position.

The founder was arrested last month for allegedly allowing illicit practices to thrive on the social media platform by failing to properly monitor posts, particularly in drug trafficking, money laundering, and the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 

Despite concerns regarding the app's content, Telegram is now experiencing a spike in downloads, propelling it to the No. 2 spot on the U.S. App Store's Social Networking charts and increasing global iOS downloads by 4%. 

After Durov's arrest, Telegram took some time to rise. This might be the case because a lot of individuals found out about the news only after reading the stories they had missed over the weekend, or because third-party sources of app store intelligence take a little longer to report changes in rankings. 

According to Appfigures, an app intelligence company, Telegram didn't rise to the No. 2 spot on the Social Networking charts on the U.S. App Store until 3 a.m. EST on Monday, suggesting that the app is just now starting to gain traction. The app had already fallen to No. 3 in Social in the U.S. as of the time of publication, so it might only be a temporary boost.

However, the app shot to the top of the App Store's Social Networking category and rose to become the third most popular app overall in France, the country where Durov was arrested. After climbing ten spots since Friday, Telegram now stands at No. 8 in the top apps chart (which does not include games). Appfigures stated that this is the highest position it has held here since at least January 1, 2023. Apple often uses a combination of measures, including download velocity and app install count, to determine app store rankings.

Nevertheless, the cliché "any press is good press" appears to hold true, at least in terms of Telegram's exposure on the App Store. As consumers downloaded the app out of curiosity — or possibly to support the founder's views about "free speech" — it began to rise in the rankings.
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search engine
Cyber Crime Data Privacy Indonesia Malicious Content search engine

Indonesia Bans Search Engine DuckDuckGo

 

Bad news for anyone concerned about their privacy who lives in or plans to visit Indonesia in the near future. As authorities ramp up their efforts to combat illegal online gambling and pornography, online privacy suffers as a result. DuckDuckGo, a private search engine, is the first casualty. 

On Friday, August 2, 2024, government officials told Reuters that the safe search engine had been disabled due to increasing complaints about online gambling and pornography content in its search results. According to local reports, the government intends to restrict access to free VPN services as part of a nationwide crackdown on criminal online activities. 

Privacy at risk 

As mentioned before, DuckDuckGo is a privacy tool that millions of individuals across the world use every day to browse anonymously and secure their private data. Enforcing a ban on its use deprives people who reside in or travel to Indonesia of a useful tool for protecting their online privacy. 

Access to the top VPN apps is also at risk, which is a recipe for disaster in terms of privacy. A virtual private network (VPN) is a type of security software that encrypts your internet connections and masks your IP address location. While both functions increase your online privacy, the latter also allows you to access geo-restricted content. 

This means you may not be able to use a streaming VPN to continue viewing your favourite TV series when travelling across the country. Worse, citizens and travellers will be unable to circumvent the current internet limitations. Indonesia, home to the world's biggest Muslim population, has strong restrictions against sharing unlawful or obscene online information. This is why, in addition to gambling and pornographic websites, social media platforms such as Reddit and Vimeo have been blocked. 

Given that the ban on free VPNs is not in effect at the time of writing, using a VPN remains the easiest way to circumvent internet restrictions and continue using DuckDuckGo, Reddit, and any other services that are currently banned. 

After you've downloaded your preferred app, all you have to do is connect to a server outside of the country - security experts suggest one in a region where internet access is unrestricted. This will trick your internet service provider (ISP) into believing you are in the same location as the server and, as a result, allow you access.
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