Messaging platform Telegram claims to have had a surge in signups and is showing record growth.
In a message sent to his Telegram channel, founder Pavel Durov wrote: “Telegram keeps growing at a rate of ~50% annually in DAU. This extraordinary growth.”
Durov doesn’t offer an explanation for Telegram’s sudden spike in signups but there are a few key factors to consider.
Telegram has been popular with Hong Kong protestors who are pushing back against oppression from China, as the app is doing a good job of keeping them safe due to its privacy-friendly features. Its usefulness for Hong Kong protestors caused retaliation from China against Telegram back in June.
Brazilian Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro has criticized Facebook’s WhatsApp for banning over 400,000 accounts during the presidential election and has begun to encourage people to use Telegram. WhatsApp is the number one messaging app in the country and users moving to Telegram as an alternative could have major implications.
Media outlets such as Barstool Sports has criticized Instagram for censoring their content and have announced a move to Telegram for the content that isn’t allowed to be shown on Instagram. Telegram is a useful tool for those who want to avoid censorship.
Security and privacy fears over WhatsApp are higher than ever, with even the founders of WhatsApp suggesting people should delete it from their phones. Telegram CEO Durov has recently highlighted the privacy and security issues with WhatsApp.
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