How Telegram Became a Magnet for Extremists, Crime

Messaging service Telegram is one of the most downloaded apps worldwide. Its private chat setting has made it a free space for open discussion in countries with authoritarian regimes. But a relatively light-touch approach to content moderation on Telegram is frustrating governments trying to stop criminal activities and the spread of misinformation that can destabilize societies.
In August 2024, French authorities arrested Telegram Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov and charged him with complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and other crimes, after prosecutors said the company had failed to cooperate with their investigations.

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Yahoo

26 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Proud Boys Say Trump Will Lose Their Support If He Goes To War With Iran

Turns out, there's a line the Proud Boys say they won't cross for President Donald Trump. The extremist group said on social media this week that it wouldn't be able to support the president if the U.S. were to become involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. 'If the United States gets directly involved in the Israel-Iran conflict, the voters that voted for Trump because there was a hope that Trump was America First can no longer support Trump,' the Proud Boys account posted to Telegram on Wednesday. 'America First does not mean war for Israel. Donald Trump, focus on the health of our nation, period. We are crumbling. We are crippled with debt with no plan for a solution. Be the President you ran as.' Trump has approved attack plans for Iran but is withholding a final order to join Israel in the strikes, The Wall Street Journal reported first this week. We were made for this moment. HuffPost will aggressively, fairly and honestly cover the Trump administration. But we need your help. . The president said Thursday that he would have a decision within two weeks on whether the American military will directly attack Iran after Israel issued strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Trump claimed his decision would be based on whether negotiations with Iran over the 'near future' of its nuclear program would occur. Historically, the Proud Boys have been among some of Trump's most fervent supporters. Many members endlessly promoted or repeated Trump's lies about the 2020 election being rigged, and some members carried banners bearing his name during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump was asked on the presidential debate stage in 2020 if he would condemn white supremacists and, in particular, Proud Boys after a summer of clashes and violence involving the group. Trump instead told Proud Boys to 'stand back and stand by.' Trump's hawkish stance toward Iran has opened a schism among some conservatives. Even some of Trump's most vocal advocates, including former Fox News mouthpiece Tucker Carlson, have suggested that Trump and the United States at large were complicit in Israel's attacks on Iran. 'Years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night's events,' Carlson wrote in a newsletter last week. Trump has said he isn't 'looking to fight.' 'But if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do,' he said from the Oval Office on Wednesday, the same day the Proud Boys put out their warning on Telegram. The Proud Boys' opposition to American involvement in foreign war isn't a concept outside of their wheelhouse: Members consider themselves ultra-nationalist, so-called 'western chauvinists' who believe it is their responsibility to preserve 'western' values. As noted by the Anti-Defamation League, the group has long embraced ideologies that reject women, immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community, often aligning itself with white nationalist values. This emphasis on the preservation of 'traditional' American values and a rejection of the 'Deep State' often returns to criticism of the military industrial complex. Many Proud Boys are also veterans; nearly all of the Proud Boys who were charged and convicted of seditiously conspiring to stop the certification of the 2020 election when attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, served in the military except for the group's leader, Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Trump Escalates His Feud With Tucker Carlson Over Israel And Iran Israeli Strikes On Iran Have Killed At Least 639 People, Rights Group Says Proud Boys' $100 Million Lawsuit Puts Trump In A Lose-Lose Position

The Hill

26 minutes ago

• The Hill

Pope Leo's AI warning

The Big Story Pope Leo XIV sounded the alarm this week over artificial intelligence (AI)'s potential impact on young people's intellectual and neurological development, building upon one of the main focuses of his papacy. © Vatican Media via Associated Press The first American pope delivered the message to an annual conference on AI and ethics, part of which took place in the Vatican this week. 'All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,' the pope said. 'Our youth must be helped, and not hindered, in their journey towards maturity and true responsibility.' The pontiff described how new generations have unprecedented, quick access to data and information, while noting they must not confuse this access to data with intelligence. 'In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data,' Leo said. Leo acknowledged AI has been used in positive ways, pointing to research in health care and science. But he warned of the possibility the emerging technology can be used for 'selfish gain at the expense of others' or 'to foment conflict and aggression.' The pope said AI, especially generative AI, 'also raises troubling questions of its possible repercussions on humanity's openness to truth and beauty, on our distinctive ability to grasp and process reality.' Since being elected pope in early May, Leo has made the risks of AI on humanity a key priority of his papacy. In his first official address to cardinals in May, the pope warned of the challenges AI poses to the 'defense of human dignity, justice and labor.' The mission resembles that of Pope Leo XIII, who pushed for workers' rights amid the industrial revolution, and a Vatican spokesperson told media outlets the name choice was 'not a casual reference.' Read more in a full report at Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter, we're Miranda Nazzaro and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future: Meta, Oakley partner for AI-powered glasses Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is partnering with Oakley to launch new artificial intelligence (AI) powered glasses, the tech giant announced Friday. The new smart glasses, like Meta's earlier Ray-Ban glasses, are equipped with a built-in camera, open-ear speakers and AI capabilities. The Oakley glasses also feature a longer-lasting battery and a higher resolution camera that can shoot 3K video. … Telegram founder planning to leave fortune to his 100+ children The founder of the instant messaging app Telegram said he plans to leave his multibillion-dollar fortune to the more than 100 children he has fathered either naturally or through sperm donations. Pavel Durov, in an interview published Thursday with French political magazine Le Point, said he does not differentiate between the six children he fathered naturally in three relationships and the dozens of others he fathered by sperm … Aflac discloses cybersecurity incident Aflac said Friday that it experienced a cybersecurity incident last week that may have impacted files containing social security numbers, health information and other personal information. The insurance company first detected suspicious activity on its network last Thursday and 'promptly initiated our cyber incident response protocols and stopped the intrusion within hours,' according to a press release. 'Importantly, … The Refresh News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics: Crypto Corner Coinbase secures EU crypto license © Richard Drew, Associated Press Welcome to Crypto Corner, a daily feature focused on digital currency and its outlook in Washington. Crypto exchange Coinbase has obtained a license to operate in the European Union (EU) under the bloc's relatively new regulatory framework for digital assets. The company announced Friday that it has secured a Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) license, allowing it to operate in all 27 European member countries. Coinbase also plans to establish its European crypto hub in Luxembourg, after receiving its license from the country's Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF). 'This is a pivotal moment for Coinbase, Luxembourg, and Europe's growing crypto ecosystem,' the exchange said in a press release. 'We look forward to continuing to contribute to Europe's vibrant economy, unlocking growth, and increasing economic freedom across the region.' As crypto firms seek MiCA licenses in Europe, the U.S. continues its slow forward march toward establishing its own regulatory framework. The Senate voted 68-30 Tuesday to pass the GENIUS Act, a bill creating regulatory rules of the road for one form of cryptocurrency, known as stablecoins. President Trump threw his weight behind the legislation Wednesday, urging the House to quickly pass the bill without any major additions. However, his call stands at odds with the hopes of some in Congress and the industry, who had been hoping to tie stablecoin legislation to another bill laying out a regulatory framework for the rest of the crypto market. In Other News Branch out with other reads on The Hill: ChatGPT use linked to cognitive decline: MIT research ChatGPT can harm an individual's critical thinking over time, a study released this month suggests. Researchers at MIT's Media Lab asked subjects to write several SAT essays and separated subjects into three groups — using OpenAI's ChatGPT, using Google's search engine and using nothing, which they called the 'brain‑only' group. Each subject's brain was monitored through electroencephalography (EEG), … What Others are Reading Two key stories on The Hill right now: Senate parliamentarian knocks pieces out of Trump's megabill Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that several key pieces of the massive bill to implement President Trump's agenda run afoul of … Read more Former Clinton campaign chief on Democrats: 'We're leaderless, we're messageless, we're agendaless' Democratic strategist Patti Solis Doyle said the party lacks a leader, message and agenda when asked about the state of the Democratic Party in an … Read more You're all caught up. See you next week!

Android Authority

26 minutes ago

• Android Authority

Nothing Phone 1 gets a feature-packed encore before the final curtain falls

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority TL;DR The Nothing Phone 1 gets a new update with Android 15's Privacy space feature. Other additions include a Hotspot Manager, a toggle for face unlock vibration, and the June security patch. This may be one of the device's final feature updates, with no more OS upgrades coming. The Nothing Phone 1 might be nearing the end of its update life, but it's not quite done yet. A new software update is rolling out that brings one of Android 15's key features, with a specific tailoring to Nothing's UI. According to a post on the official Nothing Community forum, the update introduces Privacy space: a new secure area on your phone for sensitive apps and data. You can access it by swiping right in the app drawer, and it works much like the feature seen on other Android phones, requiring separate authentication and keeping apps isolated from the rest of the system. You can also set a different privacy password for both the new Privacy space and the existing App Locker. The update also brings a revamped Hotspot Manager for controlling connected devices, fixes an issue with the Glyph Composer lighting effect, and lets users disable face unlock vibrations via a new toggle. As expected, the June 2025 Android security patch is included, as well as other big fixes. This could be one of the last feature-rich updates for the Nothing Phone 1. Nothing previously confirmed to Android Authority that the device won't get Android 16, as it has already received its three promised OS upgrades. Security patches will continue for a bit longer, but new feature rollouts will likely start tapering off without the latest OS support. Initial user reactions to the Nothing post in the comments are mixed. Some celebrated finally getting Private space, while others voiced disappointment about ongoing camera quality issues they had hoped might be addressed in the update. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.