The Danger of Using Telegram and Its Impact on Ukrainian Society

Abstract

The article is devoted to an overview of the multi-platform messenger Telegram, a study of its use and an overview of the reasons for its great popularity in Ukraine, and the provision of detailed methodological recommendations for ensuring the security of users' personal data in accordance with the latest cybersecurity practices. This article highlights the main problems of the popular messenger, starting with certain clauses of the privacy policy of this application; using examples, it shows how users' confidential information is collected in the modern digital environment through various chatbots and information channels; shows the dangerous impact of such channels on the formation of political opinion of Ukrainian society; reviews Telegram's own encryption algorithm MTProto for regular chats and secret chats with end-to-end encryption and identifies the problems associated with the use of the application. The article focuses on the importance of protecting confidential data of Telegram account holders. The storage and processing of this type of data requires a high level of security, since their unauthorized leakage or breach of integrity can lead to the theft of other types of information, as well as to the loss of user trust. The article investigates the main problems faced by users of the Telegram application in the field of cybersecurity and proposes effective approaches to their solution through secure manual configuration of Telegram, as well as recommendations on the correct handling of users' personal data to preserve their confidentiality and integrity. This approach allows to adapt to the ever-changing environment of cyber threats and increases the level of protection of personal data of individuals. Thus, by analyzing the above aspects, the article makes readers aware of the dangers of using the Telegram application during a full-scale war in Ukraine, helps to understand the current challenges in the field of cybersecurity, and provides detailed recommendations for countering these challenges.