Pavel Durov Accuses Meta and Reliance of Obstructing Telegram

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has accused Reliance, India's largest telecommunications operator, of attempting to restrict the messenger's operations on a global scale. According to Durov, the company used its technical capabilities to block access to the Telegram network for millions of users, not only within India but also beyond its borders. This was reported by Ixbt.com news .

This was carried out using BGP hijacking (Border Gateway Protocol routing theft). As a result, Telegram users, including hundreds of thousands of people in the United Arab Emirates, experienced serious problems connecting to the messenger. Durov called these actions deliberate sabotage, as the Reliance operator ignored numerous reports regarding the malfunctions.

Competition and Connection to Meta

Pavel Durov believes that such technical attacks may be driven by a competition war. The point is that a part of Reliance is linked to Meta (the owner of WhatsApp). The Telegram founder emphasized that such abuse of the global routing system is suspicious. "I would not be surprised if Reliance and WhatsApp were behind lobbying efforts to ban Telegram in India," he wrote on his channel.

The messenger's administration appealed to other network operators, recommending they reject unauthorized BGP announcements sent by Reliance (AS18101). These measures are necessary to stop the hijacking of internet routes and ensure stable connectivity for users.

End of the Blockade

Four hours after Durov's statement was published, Reliance was forced to stop the malicious routing. Following this, the messenger's operations were restored in all regions. The head of Telegram thanked his audience and the technical community for their help in publicizing the problem.

It is worth noting that India is one of the largest markets for Telegram. Previously, there were attempts to impose various restrictions on the messenger in this country. Durov considers such actions a mistake and noted that creating technical barriers instead of open competition violates user rights.

Currently, Telegram is operating normally worldwide, including in Uzbekistan. According to experts, such incidents involving the BGP protocol once again demonstrate how fragile modern internet security is and how large providers can manipulate international traffic.