This is Islamic State’s instant messaging app of choice
Telegram’s ultra-secure end-to-end encryption technology gives it the edge for web-savvy militants
For the Islamic State’s top Southeast Asian propagandist Bahrun Naim, the ultra-secure instant messaging app Telegram is a godsend as popular social networks Twitter and Facebook race to weed out web-savvy militants like him.
Berlin-based Telegram, created by the exiled Russian internet guru Pavel Durov, insists it is doing its best to curb exploitation by Islamic State (IS), but experts say the mobile app remains among the most favoured by foreign fighters looking to recruit and inspire followers back home.
Islamic State followers flock to social media platform Telegram in terror propaganda free-for-all
The free-to-download messenger with over 100 million active global users allows the instant exchange of messages, photos and videos, much like rivals WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Viber.
Many users migrated to Telegram because of the belief that its end-to-end encryption technology – which keep communication private from start to finish – is superior to that of its competitors.
For militants like Naim, Telegram’s most enticing features are its private channels as well as its recently revamped ‘bot’ function – which allows the automated mass dissemination of messages and other content. A ‘bot’ – derived from the word robot – is a type of software that performs automated tasks over the internet. Militant groups can programme Telegram’s bots to answer simple text queries by followers.