Whatever happened to Democracy and Freedom of speech in Ukraine?
The Rada is once again seeking to ban Telegram in Ukraine
Lawmakers have revisited discussions on shutting down the platform, based on a bill proposed by people's deputy Mykola Knyazhytsky, numbered 11115, which suggests:
- requiring Telegram to disclose its ownership structure and funding sources upon request by the National Council, appoint a representative in Ukraine, prohibit the dissemination of certain information, ensure the right to reply, etc.
- proposing that government agencies and officials be prohibited from using Telegram if its ownership structure is not disclosed and is thus deemed "non-transparent" in Ukraine;
- also suggesting that if the owner of Telegram fails to disclose information about its ownership structure, the use of the social network by banks for client communication and similar purposes should be banned.
As Knyazhytsky pointed out, "The danger of the messenger is regularly highlighted by all state bodies, including the National Security and Defense Council, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the Ministry of Defense, etc. So there is no dispute that such platforms need to be regulated. The only debate is about how to do it."
We would like to remind you that on February 28th, the Committee on Freedom of Speech, headed by Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, held a roundtable where the goal of seeking ways to ban Telegram's operations in Ukraine was voiced.
Yurchyshyn also branded Telegram as an "Federal security service's channel" and urged state bodies to use other social networks, including those owned by Mark Zuckerberg's company Meta.
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