Reuters: Telegram says Ukrainian government chatbots mistakenly blocked
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Telegram chatbots of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and the Digital Transformation Ministry were "temporarily disabled due to a false positive," Reuters quoted a Telegram spokesperson on April 29.
The Telegram spokesperson provided no further details, Reuters said.
Ukrainian journalist Konstantyn Ryzhenko first reported on the disappearance of the chatbots on April 28. They were restored earlier in the day on April 29.
The Telegram chatbot of Ukraine's military intelligence agency was used to communicate with those living in Russian-held areas and those who wished to join the struggle against Russian forces.
The channel allowed people to post information about Russian military positions, equipment, air defenses, movement of troops, and more.
The chatbots of the SBU and the Digital Transformation Ministry served a similar purpose.
Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, said last week that Telegram users in Ukraine can expect "certain changes" regarding access to some channels he called "general news/propaganda channels."
Durov also suggested at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, restricting "Telegram channels in Russia and Ukraine because they were being used for military propaganda," but Russian and Ukrainian users "vehemently opposed restrictions."
According to Durov, Telegram blocks accounts and chatbots that collect data aiding strikes or call for violence.
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