Pavel Durov: I’m Using Bitcoin to Neutralize Russia’s Telegram Ban
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Russia’s Telegram ban officially went into effect this week, but the encrypted messaging app is fighting back against the government censors — and it’s using bitcoin to power those efforts.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed Tuesday that he has begun distributing bitcoin grants to groups and organizations operating (VPNs) and other proxy services that help users bypass the nationwide ban, which was put in place by Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor.
“To support internet freedoms in Russia and elsewhere I started giving out bitcoin grants to individuals and companies who run socks5 proxies and VPN. I am happy to donate millions of dollars this year to this cause, and hope that other people will follow,” Durov wrote of the initiative, which he has termed the “Digital Resistance.”
“For us, this was an easy decision. We promised our users 100% privacy and would rather cease to exist than violate this promise,” he added in the message, which was published on his .
A Russian court approved the ban last week, which it justified on the grounds that Telegram has refused to provide the state’s intelligence service with encryption keys that it could use to decrypt user messages. Officials say they need access to these messages so they can investigate and prevent terrorist incidents, but the company has said that doing so would violate the privacy of its Russian users.
Telegram said that it has not experienced a noticeable decrease in user engagement since the ban went into effect, but the same cannot be said of other services whose IP addresses have been unwittingly entangled in Roskomnadzor’s net. According to , the regulatory agency has blocked 18 sub-networks and millions of IP addresses — including some used by popular online retailers and banking providers — belonging to Google and Amazon in an attempt to prevent Telegram from using these cloud services to bypass the ban.
It is unclear to what lengths Russia will go as it attempts to enforce the Telegram ban, but the company has ample resources to wage a prolonged crusade against the censors.
As CCN , Telegram has stated in public filings that it has already raised at least $1.7 billion through a private initial coin offering (ICO) presale and may attempt to increase that figure through a subsequent public sale.
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ICO’s are swiftly changing the rules of funding for ambitious, new projects involving Blockchain. While ICO’s are proving to be a boon for budding and seasoned entrepreneurs with brilliant business ideas, they also present lucrative investment opportunities for investors, who gain profits from their coin/token holdings when the projects do well.
Win-win situation for both the parties? Not every time. There are ICO’s galore, but not all of them are worth investing in. In fact, most of the ICOs fail either because of incompetent ideas, team, articulation of the project to the audience, etc. or they are Ponzi schemes or scams from the very beginning. 51 projects conducted their ICO’s between July 1 and September 25th 2017, yet to meet their funding targets.
In my experience with ICOs, I have found out that there are no hard and fast rules around them which can help one decide if an ICO is based on a serious project, or a scam, or if it will do well or tumble. I look at various factors while considering an ICO for its investment potential, and my reviews are always backed with careful research and analysis. This time, the project I have reviewed is the Teky, and I believe that it will be worth investing in its token. Here’s why –
1. A great product empowering parents with new possibilities of educating their children
Teky is a not a run-of-the-mill e-commerce platform selling mobile phones and tablets. Mek.store, the project’s online store, will sell those, and a host of smart-tech technology products such as VR equipment, wearable technology, drones, robots, 3D printers, as well as STEM (Science – Technology – Engineering – Mathematics) education toys. And unlike other popular e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, it will not sell only expensive products from big brands, but it will also have products from lesser known brands from China and other countries, which are priced more economically but are at par with the quality of products from bigger brands. TEKY Academy, on the other hand, is an education company with Lab chains, franchisees, and online courses for children from 4 to 17 years old in 3 main categories including Programming & Application Development, Robotics & Engineering, and 3D Technology & Multimedia. Teky will offer cross-border delivery service of their products for parents around the globe. Thus, this platform can help parents introduce their children to technology in a constructive and safe manner at a young age.
2. TKC utility token
The TKC token can be used on mek.store for purchasing any tech product, or for purchasing any technical course from the Teky academy. The value of TKC will increase as its usage in the community increases. TKC token holders will be a rewarded with a share of annual profits.
3. Good reviews from Top ICO Listing sites
The Teky project is being perceived favourably by crypto-enthusiasts as well. It has a score of 8.53/ 10 on and a score of .
4. Project being featured by Major Media Houses
The project has been featured by platforms such , , , , , etc. With such renowned mainstream and crypto-media houses giving attention to Teky, it speaks volumes about the project’s credibility and potential.
5. Strong team
Teky is also a robust project because it has industry veterans working on it.
Emme Dao, the Group CEO & Founder has been a part of the executive management of several successful projects such as the multi-million dollar revenue earner NextTech Group, WeShop Group Holdings – a Cross Border E-commerce Business in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and US, and ViMo Payments Company – one of the leading mobile payment solutions in Vietnam.
Jack Yang – Group CTO & Co-Founder, has been working in the Blockchain space for 3 years, and has 10 years of experience in designing, building and developing IT system, information infrastructure for e-commerce transactions, online communication and ERP system. The profiles of all the team members can be found on their .
6. Great Recognitions
In March 2017, TEKY was recognized by Melbourne University and the Australian Government as the Most Outstanding Project that could have an impact on future society in Southeast Asia. In June 2017, TEKY was chosen as a Top 4 project in the NextGen Women Entrepreneurs Program in Switzerland.
7. Strong Partnerships
Teky has already entered into partnerships with eminent national and international organisations such as Hanoi Department of Education and Training, Hochiminh department of Education and Training, Next Tech Group of Technopreneurs, First Code Academy, Citibank, SIGNONG Media, VIC Partners, List Premier Education and Zenobot.
Thus, the project has several strong factors in its favour which underline its soundness and reliability. The project’s team members are connected with their audience on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, Reddit, Medium, Steemit and Bitcointalk and keep updating them on developments about the project.
The details of the project are given in their whitepaper, a comprehensive but easily-readable document available in English, Vietnamese, and other languages on their website. To read their whitepaper, and stay updated on their upcoming ICO, visit their website: .
Did you like this review? Let me know in the comments.
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