Meta holds a minority stake in Jio, the digital arm of Reliance Industries Limited. Meanwhile, the undersea cable operations are managed by another group company, Reliance Communications, which is not part of Reliance Industries.
भारत में टेलीग्राम बैन के लिए रिलायंस और व्हाट्सऐप जिम्मेदार, कर रहे हाइजैकिंग’, NEET-UG री-एग्जाम तक रोक पर ऐप के सीईओ का बड़ा दावा
Pavel Durov, CEO of the messaging app Telegram, has alleged that the Reliance Group, in collaboration with WhatsApp, may have lobbied for a ban on the app in India.
Meta Platforms holds a partial stake in Reliance.
He also alleged that Reliance has obstructed Telegram’s accessibility for millions of users outside India, including in the United Arab Emirates.
A senior source in the telecom sector, speaking on condition of anonymity, dismissed these allegations as “fake news” and stated that Durov had confused Reliance Communications with Reliance Industries Limited.
Writing on the social media platform ‘X’, Pavel Durov stated, “The Indian telecom company Reliance is blocking Telegram access for millions of users outside India (including the UAE) using a dubious method known as ‘BGP hijacking’. This appears to be intentional, as Reliance has ignored multiple complaints. This could be part of a competitive battle, given that Meta—WhatsApp’s parent company—holds a partial stake in Reliance.”
Meta holds a minor stake in Jio, the digital arm of Reliance Industries Limited. However, the submarine cable operations are managed by a separate group company, Reliance Communications, which is not part of Reliance Industries.
Durov advised network operators to reject unauthorized BGP announcements originating from Reliance (AS18101) to prevent ‘route hijacking’ and ensure stable internet access for users.
He added, “Such misuse of global internet routing is concerning. I wouldn’t be surprised if Reliance/WhatsApp were also behind the recent attempts to ban Telegram in India.”
The government has directed Google and Apple to remove the Telegram app from their app stores by June 22, aiming to prevent the leaking of the NEET-UG re-examination paper. Newspaper
This examination, conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA), is held for admission to undergraduate medical institutions across the country. The agency had cancelled the previous exam, held on May 3, amidst allegations of a paper leak.
Additionally, a separate directive has asked Telegram to disable the message-editing feature for messages sent in India by June 30, in order to prevent the misuse of evidence in cases related to ‘paper leaks’.
An industry source stated that it is evident from Durov’s statement that the company being referred to is RCom.
The source said, “The allegations he is making regarding Meta actually pertain to a completely different company (Jio). These are distinct entities. Meta is merely a minority investor in Jio and plays no role in its day-to-day operations or management. Conflating the two either reflects a lack of understanding of the sector or is a deliberate attempt to spread misleading information.”
There was no immediate response to emails sent to Telegram, RCom, Jio, Meta, and WhatsApp regarding this matter.
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