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Telegram’s future largely depends on its developers’ team — official

In regards to alternatives to Telegram, Igor Ashmanov noted that there are about 20 of them in Russia alone

MOSCOW, August 27. /TASS/. The future of the Telegram messenger depends largely not on its team of lawyers, but from its developers and managers, says Igor Ashmanov, head of the Kribrum company, a member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights.

"Most likely, everything will depend on the team of developers and managers; if we talks about Telegram as a service, then it’s not about the lawyers," he told TASS, commenting on the situation with the apprehension of Pavel Durov. "It is another matter entirely that the United States and Europe themselves might begin blocking Telegram, citing court rulings."

In regards to alternatives to Telegram, Ashmanov noted that there are about 20 of them in Russia alone.

"There are many analogs, there is also the state-developed messenger," the expert continued. "If one Internet service gets disrupted, it is possible to switch to another one with one mouse click, like it happened with YouTube, for example."

"As soon as the users find out that their correspondence is being read by the French or the Americans, they will immediately migrate to another service, which they will consider safer," Ashmanov believes.

Pavel Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in Paris on August 24; on the next day, his detention was extended by 96 hours. The Paris prosecutor’s office suspects him of being complicit in illegal drug trafficking, crimes against children and fraud - in short, he is being viewed as an accomplice to the people who use Telegram to commit these and other offenses.

The Russian Embassy in France told TASS that it intends to ensure that Durov’s rights are protected and that he receives consular access due him, but "France has been avoiding cooperation on this issue so far."

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