Telegram CEO Calls iCloud 'Official Surveillance Tool'

Apple had turned down the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for several times by refusing to open unlocked iPhones of alleged suspects. But, a recent report revealed that the Cupertino company somehow caved in to the US government and the FBI when it decided not to fully encrypt its iCloud storage service. With the recent development, the tech company leader calls Apple iCloud as an official surveillance tool.

The CEO and Founder of Telegram Pavel Durov lays out that Apple’s cloud service is now ‘a surveillance tool.’ Applications like WhatsApp, which are heavily dependent on iCloud to store messages, are now part of the problem, says the CEO claims citing a recent Reuters report. The CEO shares his view through a post on his official Telegram channel.

Apple Dropped Plans of Full Backup Encryption on iCloud

Durov’s latest post is in reference to the report released by Reuters, revealing that Apple did not push its plan to enable iPhone users to encrypt backups of their iPhone on iCloud fully. The Cupertino tech juggernaut reportedly gave up its plans of end to end encryption following a complaint from the FBI. The federal agency argued that end to end encryption would ‘harm investigations.’

Apple turned its focus instead on protecting sensitive user data such as backed-up texts from iMessage and saved passwords. Meanwhile, WhatsApp and other services are available to authorities and Apple employees, according to Reuters. US President Trump lambasted Apple a few days ago, saying that the Cupertino tech giant refuses to open iPhones used by drug dealers, killers, and criminal elements.

Telegram Maintains User’s Privacy

Like Apple, Telegram is positioning itself as a champion for user privacy. The CEO’s latest claim fortifies the focus of the company in maintaining real user privacy. Telegram has cloud storage that enables text messages, images, documents, and media files to be saved on the cloud. The storage also enables Telegram users to log in and out so users won’t have to worry about backup restore.

Like Apple, Telegram also encountered multiple regulatory pressures. In 2018, Roskomnadzor said the app would be blocked in the future following the company’s refusal to give user accounts’ encryption keys to Russian authorities. Telegram also refused to shut down channels that were peacefully protesting, earning the ire of Iranian authorities, which tried to block the app.