The National Council is considering the possibility of regulating Telegram. Experts warn against rash steps
2 May 2024 17:55
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
The head of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting, Olga Gerasymiuk, has said that Ukraine is currently communicating with European partners to add Telegram to the list of digital platforms subject to regulation. She said this during a telethon, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
According to the official, the regulation of Telegram includes the possibility of fining the platform in cases of violation of the law.
She also believes that government agencies should not run their official pages there.
“Telegram is a very convenient form of communication, but officials and government organisations should be off Telegram. And this ban should be implemented immediately… I think that we should gradually move official communication to other messengers,”
– gerasymiuk said.
Political observer Gennadiy Dubov believes that all the talk about blocking Telegram may be in vain, as such a task is probably technically impossible.
“Many times our government leaders have said that it is necessary to take measures to regulate and possibly block Telegram. However, it is still not clear whether this is technically possible in principle. Rather, there is an opinion that it is technically impossible. Then it turns out that we are discussing the need to make a technically impossible decision,”
– said the expert in an exclusive comment 
.
He warns that the state should not make a decision that it is unable to implement, as this directly affects its authority.
“Ideally, everything should be in the opposite direction: first, the technical inability to introduce a ban or exert any influence is worked out. And then, when it becomes clear that we can implement it, we start discussing its feasibility or limits. Then everything will look logical, and we will not find ourselves in a situation where we make a decision that we know we cannot implement. This is a blow to the authority of the state,”
– commented Gennadiy Dubov.
Draft law on Telegram regulation
It should be noted that the Verkhovna Rada has registered draft law No. 11115, which will allow the regulation of information sharing platforms. This applies to messengers and, in particular, Telegram.
The explanatory note states that Telegram is used by 72% of Ukrainians to obtain information, and therefore it should be regulated no less than other media sources with a much smaller reach.
Telegram will be defined in the law as a platform for sharing information through which mass information is disseminated (a platform on which accounts – pages, channels, etc. of users through which mass information is disseminated – are created and function).
Thus, it will be classified as a media entity.
Telegram and other similar social networks will be obliged to submit to the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting information on the ownership structure, applications for amendments to the Register and updated information on the ownership structure.
If Telegram fails to provide the National Council with information about its representative in Ukraine or an open representative office in any EU member state, its ownership structure will be recognised as non-transparent. In this case, it will be banned from being used by government agencies and officials.
Telegram channels (in case of voluntary registration) will also be classified as online media.
Telegram will be obliged to publish refutations and restrict certain information that, in particular, infringes copyright and related rights.
The draft law has been sent to the relevant committee for consideration.
Meanwhile, the SBU said that it does not have the technical ability to block Telegram. And Budanov believes that Telegram can be used in favour of Ukraine.
