All news

Government officials should steer clear of messenger apps for official purposes — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov added that the Russian Presidential Administration abides by this policy
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Sergey Bulkin/TASS
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov
© Sergey Bulkin/TASS

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. Civil servants should not use any messenger apps for official business as these tools are susceptible to being hacked, including Telegram, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, commenting on the detention of Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov in France.

"Civil servants should not use instant messenger services for official purposes. No messenger is reliable in terms of information security, Telegram included," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Peskov added that the Russian Presidential Administration abides by this policy. "We do not use any instant messenger services for official purposes, because that would simply be a violation of rules and ethics," he said.

Durov was arrested at Le Bourget Airport on August 24. The period of his detention was extended for 96 hours the next day. French President Emmanuel Macron said the move was not political and urged to wait for the judges' decision. He assured that France is more committed than ever to freedom of speech and communication, innovation and entrepreneurship.