WhatsApp Replacement Applications are Increasingly Crowded with Users
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- The Telegram app is slowly but surely catching up to WhatsApp. Its founder, Pavel Durov, claims that Telegram will likely reach one billion monthly active users within a year.
Dubai-based Telegram was founded by Russian-born Durov, who left the country in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold.
"We will probably surpass one billion monthly active users in a year now. Telegram is spreading like a forest fire," said Durov, who fully owns Telegram, as quoted by detikINET from Reuters.
Durov, whose wealth according to Forbes estimates is USD 15.5 billion, said some governments were trying to suppress it, but Telegram, which now has 900 million active users, must remain a neutral platform and not a geopolitical player.
Telegram's main rival is of course WhatsApp, which is still quite far ahead, with more than two billion monthly active users. Durov himself has repeatedly criticized WhatsApp in the past, for example regarding its security.
Telegram, which is very influential in the republics of the former Soviet Union, ranks as one of the main social media platforms, after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.
Durov said he got the idea to create an encrypted messaging app as a way to communicate while he was under pressure in Russia. His younger brother, Nikolai, designed the encryption. He claimed he left Russia because he did not want to accept orders from any government. He called the claim that Telegram is controlled by Russia as a false rumor spread by competitors who are worried about Telegram's growth.
"I would rather be free than take orders from anyone," Durov said of his departure from Russia. He once tried going to the United States but according to him, especially in recruiting global talent, the bureaucracy there was too much and he was attacked on the streets of San Francisco by people who tried to steal his cell phone.
More worrying, he said, he was getting too much attention from US security agencies including the FBI. Durov claims US agencies tried to hire his employees to find Telegram backdoors. The FBI has not yet responded to Durov's allegations.
Durov also chose the United Arab Emirates because it is a neutral country that wants to be friends with everyone and is not allied with any superpower. So he feels the United Arab Emirates is the best place for Telegram.
Aplikasi Pengganti WhatsApp Makin Ramai Pengguna
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- Aplikasi Telegram pelan tapi pasti mengejar WhatsApp. Pendirinya, Pavel Durov, mengklaim bahwa Telegram kemungkinan akan mencapai satu miliar pengguna aktif bulanan dalam waktu satu tahun.
Telegram yang berbasis di Dubai, didirikan Durov, kelahiran Rusia, yang meninggalkan negaranya tahun 2014 setelah menolak memenuhi tuntutan menutup komunitas oposisi di platform media sosial VK miliknya, yang ia jual.
"Kami mungkin akan melampaui satu miliar pengguna aktif bulanan dalam satu tahun sekarang. Telegram menyebar seperti kebakaran hutan," kata Durov, yang sepenuhnya memiliki Telegram, seperti dikutip detikINET dari Reuters.
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Durov, yang menurut perkiraan Forbes hartanya USD 15,5 miliar, mengatakan beberapa pemerintah berusaha menekan, tapi Telegram yang kini punya 900 juta pengguna aktif, harus tetap menjadi platform netral dan bukan pemain geopolitik.
Saingan utama Telegram tentu adalah WhatsApp yang masih unggul cukup jauh, dengan memiliki lebih dari dua miliar pengguna aktif bulanan. Durov sendiri berulangkali di masa lalu kerap mengkritik WhatsApp, misalnya soal keamanannya.
Telegram, yang sangat berpengaruh di negara-negara republik bekas Uni Soviet, menduduki peringkat sebagai salah satu platform media sosial utama, setelah Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, dan WeChat.
Durov mengatakan mendapat ide membuat aplikasi pesan terenkripsi sebagai cara berkomunikasi saat dia di bawah tekanan di Rusia. Adiknya, Nikolai, merancang enkripsi tersebut. Dia mengklaim meninggalkan Rusia karena tak mau menerima perintah pemerintah mana pun. Ia menyebut klaim Telegram dikendalikan Rusia sebagai rumor palsu yang disebar pesaing yang mengkhawatirkan pertumbuhan Telegram.
"Saya lebih suka bebas daripada menerima perintah dari siapa pun," kata Durov tentang kepergiannya dari Rusia. Dia pernah coba ke Amerika Serikat tapi menurutnya, terutama dalam merekrut talenta global, birokrasi di sana terlalu berat dan dia diserang di jalanan San Francisco oleh orang yang coba mencuri ponselnya.
Yang lebih mengkhawatirkan, katanya, ia mendapat terlalu banyak perhatian dari badan keamanan AS termasuk FBI. Durov mengklaim lembaga-lembaga AS mencoba mempekerjakan pegawainya untuk menemukan backdoor Telegram. FBI belum menanggapi tudingan Durov ini.
Durov pun memilih Uni Emirat Arab karena negara itu adalah netral yang ingin berteman dengan semua dan tidak bersekutu dengan negara adidaya mana pun. Jadi dia merasa Uni Emirat Arab adalah tempat terbaik untuk Telegram.