WhatsApp Blocks Telegram Links On Android
World’s most popular messaging app, WhatsApp has reportedly blocked rival communications app Telegram, as it is feared terrorists may have used the app to exchange secret messages.
The Facebook owned-messaging app, has stopped its users from posting links to Telegram. Users can view the links in WhatsApp, but cannot tap on or copy them.
Last month, Islamic State Militants (ISIS) used Telegram to take responsibility for the Paris terror attacks.
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Telegram has closed down several major ISIS public channels, it was gathered that the messaging app blocked 78 ISIS-related Channels prompting one supporter to tweet: “Telegram is changing its policy quickly.”
This blocking follows a similar move by WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook, which recently blocked links to Tsu.co, a social network that pays its users a percentage of ad revenue every time they post. Facebook accused Tsu.co of encouraging “spammy sharing,” hence why it blocked links. Links were blocked on Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram, though not on WhatsApp.
The current version of the WhatsApp will not allow you to forward nor copy or even open a link with Telegram.
Android Police has also put out an article showing a part of the WhatsApp source code for the most recent version of the app, where the link telegram.org is added to bad host. WhatsApp has not commented on the issue.
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Pavel Durov, the Russian founder of Berlin-based Telegram, took to Twitter to accuse WhatsApp of blocking links to his app.
Whatsapp started censoring links to Telegram in their Android app (i.e. for ~80% of the users). pic.twitter.com/qV0vBLJpi6
— Pavel Durov (@durov) November 30, 2015
In May of this year, Telegram claimed 62 million monthly active users, while WhatsApp claimed 900 million monthly active users in September.
