Telegram Gains 25m Users In 72Hrs As WhatsApp Suffers Backlash Over Privacy Policy Update

Telegram, following the change of privacy terms by WhatsApp messenger, said it added 25 million new users in the past 72 hours.

The founder of the messaging app, Pavel Durov, announced this on Tuesday via his Telegram channel, stating that the app had over 500 million monthly active users in the first week of January and 25 million new users joined Telegram in the last 72 hours alone.

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Telegram was founded in 2013 by brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, who also founded Russia’s social media network VKontakte.

The messaging app was banned in several countries including Russia for its refusal to cooperate with authorities and handover encryption keys.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp had introduced some controversial changes to its privacy policy that will allow it to share more data with its parent company, Facebook.

The new terms included that users outside Europe who do not accept the new conditions before February 8 will be cut off from the messaging app. But WhatsApp clarified on Tuesday that the new data policy would not affect users’ private messages and calls.

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Durov, however, said in reaction to Telegram’s growth amidst WhatsApp’s privacy policy controversy: “People no longer want to exchange their privacy for free services.”

He said Telegram had become the “largest refuge” for those seeking a private and secure communications platform and assured new users that his team “takes this responsibility very seriously”.

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