The draft law on the ban of Telegram does not provide for any ban on Telegram or anonymous channels: Mykola Kniazhytskyi answers frequently asked questions about the bill
There is no mention of blocking any messengers in the draft law
1. Is it true that the draft law provides for the blocking of Telegram?
No, it is not. There is no mention of blocking any messengers in the draft law.
2. Will anonymous channels be blocked or de-anonymized?
No, the draft law does not mention Telegram channel owners at all. According to the current version of the Law on Media, they are not regulated by media legislation at all. The draft law does not change this, so it will not affect channel owners.
Mykola Kniazhytskyi, photo: Olena Chernenko
3. If you don't block, what does the draft law envisage?
The draft law proposes to set approximately the same requirements for Telegram and similar services as are already established by the Ukrainian Law on Media for YouTube and EU law for other services.
The first of them is that they must open a representative office in Ukraine or in any EU country so that the Ukrainian regulator can communicate with it. Responding to requests from the Ukrainian National Council should be the responsibility not only of YouTube (as it is now), but also of other platforms.
The second is that these services should independently determine how to deal with content prohibited by the current version of the Law on Media. That is, the draft law does not come up with any new prohibitions - we are talking about the distribution of pornography, drug sales, glorification of fascism, etc.
4. Is it true that Telegram is connected to russia?
There is a lot of evidence that may indicate Telegram's connection to russia. From statements by the SBU, the Defense Ministry, the National Security and Defense Council, the Interior Ministry, and other government agencies, to open statements by russian officials, including putin himself, that Telegram is working with the kremlin. Just last week, the russian Internet censorship authority roskomnadzor said that based on their requests, Telegram deleted (i.e., did not even block) 485 channels.
At the same time, the Ukrainian National Council cannot get Telegram to delete, but simply to respond to its requests.
But to legally put an end to this, the draft law gives the National Council the right to request information about the ownership structure of Telegram. Currently, nobody has the authority to check Telegram's ownership.
5. If Telegram ignores the request of the National Council, will it be blocked?
No, as mentioned above, the draft law does not provide for the blocking of Telegram.
If Telegram does not respond, Ukrainian government agencies and banks (which process financial information about citizens) may be prohibited from using Telegram and installing it on their devices - smartphones and computers.
If this continues for a long time, the National Council may impose a fine on Telegram.
In fact, this is essentially all that the draft law provides. It is not about blocking anything. It's just about establishing communication between Ukraine and the service that Ukrainians use the most to get news.
