Telegram Messaging App Proves Crucial To Belarus Protests (latimes.com) 21
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Associated Press: Every day, like clockwork, to-do lists for those protesting against Belarus' authoritarian leader appear in the popular Telegram messaging app. They lay out goals, give times and locations of rallies with business-like precision, and offer spirited encouragement. The app has become an indispensable tool in coordinating the unprecedented mass protests that have rocked Belarus since Aug. 9, when election officials announced that President Alexander Lukashenko -- whom some call "Europe's last dictator" -- had won a landslide victory to extend his 26-year rule in a vote widely seen as rigged.
Peaceful protesters who poured onto the streets of the capital, Minsk, and other cities were met with stun grenades, rubber bullets and beatings from police. The opposition candidate, schoolteacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, left for Lithuania -- under duress, her campaign said -- and authorities shut off the internet, leaving Belarusians with almost no access to independent online news outlets or social media and protesters seemingly without a leader. That's where Telegram -- which often remains available despite internet outages, touts the security of messages shared in the app and has been used in other protest movements -- came in. Some of its channels helped unconnected, scattered rallies mature into well-coordinated action.
The people who run the channels, which used to offer political news, now post updates, videos and photos of the turmoil sent in from users, locations of heavy police presence, contacts of human rights activists and calls for new demonstrations -- something Belarusian opposition leaders have refrained from doing publicly themselves. Tens of thousands of people all across the country have responded to those calls. In a matter of days, the channels -- NEXTA, NEXTA Live and Belarus of the Brain are the most popular -- have become the main method for facilitating the protests, said Franak Viacorka, a Belarusian analyst and nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council. "The fate of the country has never depended so much on one [piece] of technology," Viacorka said.
Peaceful protesters who poured onto the streets of the capital, Minsk, and other cities were met with stun grenades, rubber bullets and beatings from police. The opposition candidate, schoolteacher Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, left for Lithuania -- under duress, her campaign said -- and authorities shut off the internet, leaving Belarusians with almost no access to independent online news outlets or social media and protesters seemingly without a leader. That's where Telegram -- which often remains available despite internet outages, touts the security of messages shared in the app and has been used in other protest movements -- came in. Some of its channels helped unconnected, scattered rallies mature into well-coordinated action.
The people who run the channels, which used to offer political news, now post updates, videos and photos of the turmoil sent in from users, locations of heavy police presence, contacts of human rights activists and calls for new demonstrations -- something Belarusian opposition leaders have refrained from doing publicly themselves. Tens of thousands of people all across the country have responded to those calls. In a matter of days, the channels -- NEXTA, NEXTA Live and Belarus of the Brain are the most popular -- have become the main method for facilitating the protests, said Franak Viacorka, a Belarusian analyst and nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council. "The fate of the country has never depended so much on one [piece] of technology," Viacorka said.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Antifa has been around for 100 years. They were communist front men. The Soros crew uses them to destabilize a wealthy and stable country by targeting the most manipulable demographic.
Slashdot and other media companies are owned by similar interests to change public opinion by manipulating the news cycle and search engines.
Re: (Score:2)
This would be a good app for the Americans to use, especially since that government is trying to take away other forms of encrypted communications.
Police responses are seldom completely measured, just as protesters are seldom completely peaceful.
Salem is the capital of Portland.
Americans are using social media and apps to schedule protests and gatherings.
Re: (Score:2)
Whoops. *Oregon.
Re: (Score:2)
But are they, "They lay out goals, give times and locations of rallies with business-like precision," almost like it was a business for someone. To sit back and organised the protests without ever being involved directly. Hey wait, they are doing it in portland, the very same professional way it is done in Belarus and was done in Hong Kong. Almost like a professional government agency was organising those protests. Make it look too professional and people will suspect foul play and manipulation. Watch the s
Anti-Gubment Panaceas Get Outlawed (Score:3)
Re: (Score:1)
Phones can be set up to do mesh networking, bypassing cell service. The app can be disguised as another app. So yeah, rubber hose decryption, outlawing ownership or government crypto experts, whatever use it while you can because we'll be doing something different tomorrow and we'll be overthrowing your asses and then giving them the old Khaddafi enema with a bayonet.
People who like to spread defeatist propaganda to help authoritarians are trash, just garbage tier people.
Re:Anti-Gubment Panaceas Get Outlawed (Score:5, Insightful)
Phones can be set up to do mesh networking, bypassing cell service.
Which can easily then be monitored by moles on the ground in the same mesh. This has already happened in Hong Kong
The app can be disguised as another app.
Which is the lamest thing I've ever heard. Like they couldn't use block checksums on the "unknown" app, they can compile known-wrong-name-tables, and then of course you are in an even worse situation. You'll use a compromised medium exposing more of your fellow revolutionaries and getting more people arrested, suppressed, hurt, or killed.
So yeah, rubber hose decryption, outlawing ownership or government crypto experts, whatever use it while you can because we'll be doing something different tomorrow
It doesn't matter if you do something different tomorrow if you've already ruined your operational security and the authorities have already penetrated your network. Using stupid/shitty tools with people you barely know will eventually get you popped. Period. You gotta learn some proper operation security. Your only real hope is that the whole revolution succeeds and your big-power enemy doesn't get a chance to analyze your communications (even after you've moved on).
and we'll be overthrowing your asses and then giving them the old Khaddafi enema with a bayonet.
Doubtful. Lukeshenko is a wiley and so-far-victorious adversary that has to be taken seriously. Your blatant underestimation of him indicates to me that you'd probably be one of the first folks he'd find and scoop off the street. Remember that attempts to conduct a revolution from a government prison are very difficult.
People who like to spread defeatist propaganda to help authoritarians are trash, just garbage tier people.
Wrong. You're caveiler attitude toward using red-hot tools get people arrested and killed because you are too young and dumb to run a proper revolution makes you a perfect patsy-in-waiting. I'm not saying "don't resist" I'm saying "Don't be a fucking idiot." I sure as hell wouldn't want to be in your revolutionary unit. You're a risk to those around you because of your lack of planning and caution. Much better communications techniques exist (observe the Sinaloa Cartel) that are much more difficult to compromise.
People need to take crazy risks (Score:2)
To effect change. The world is neither rational nor predictable.
If everybody did what is just good for themselves, being very careful and conservative, the Berlin wall would never have come down. But when enough people get angry and take crazy risks things happen.
Lukeshenko's mob are not totally efficient. They could and will attack some Telegram networks. But not all. And the mob is not homogeneous -- if they see a change coming they will be quick to change sides, quietly not seeing things etc.
Hong Ko
Re: (Score:1)
Putin is KGB warrior, one who will order to poison you out, if you don't act to his understanding of proper. Belarus Republic is of closest satellites, he is concerned about very much, with all of his sort of attitude. Both are imperial scale builders, while people are cheap and small, got to suffer.
Re: (Score:2)
Too boring, did not read.
Re: (Score:2)
Lukeshanko or any dictator or corrupt government worth it's title will simply outlaw using that app. Get picked up by the cops with the App on your phone and you get punished severely.
He can't. He has to punish the whole country at this point.
Telegram has won the censorship war in the East. Russia tried to fight it because it was refusing to comply with legal intercept requirements and failed. It has now rowed back on the stick and has been working on the carrot approach.
It is only a matter of time until Telegram pushes out a lot of other messengers in the West too. It will be entertaining to watch how USA tries to suppress it because it is a "national security threat" - there is no r
Re: (Score:2)
Doesn't Telegram use IP to communicate? Or is there some sort of bluetooth mode? Wouldn't that put a target on you in a crowd?
Not if the whole crowd is using it.
Umm... How does TG remain available during interne (Score:2)
Umm... How does TG remain available during internet outages ?