The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian Policy supported the bill (No. 11115) on regulating Telegram activities in Ukraine. This was announced by one of the authors of the bill, MP Mykola Kniazhytskyi (European Solidarity faction), on Facebook, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
"This decision is long overdue. But after the recent terrorist attacks, it became without alternative. Today we have a situation where russian special services massively use Telegram and other digital platforms to recruit Ukrainians, coordinate sabotage, spread fakes and destabilize the country," he stressed.
Kniazhytskyi noted that the bill provides that platforms must officially disclose who their owners are and how they are financed; they must have contact with the Ukrainian state through an authorized body; in cases of terrorism, fraud or threats to national security, such platforms are obliged to promptly respond and cooperate.
If this does not happen, sanctions are provided: from financial to restrictions on the use of these platforms by state bodies, banks and structures that work with citizens' personal data.
"The key point is: we do not regulate content or users. We regulate the behavior of platforms. Because today some of them either do not react at all or react slowly, or react when the damage has already been done. The Ukrainian state must have tools to protect its citizens. This is the first, I would say, the most gentle step. If necessary, the law can be strengthened before the second reading," the MP noted.
Kniazhytskyi also noted that the bill does not contradict European legislation, there are no negative conclusions from the Council of Europe, and, according to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, after consultations with the European Commission, there is a fundamental understanding and support for such an approach, taking into account the military conditions of Ukraine.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Service of Ukraine want to restrict Telegram after the terrorist attack in Lviv, when on the night of February 22, explosions occurred in the central part of the city after the arrival of police officers on a call about breaking into a store, which took the life of a policewoman and injured 25 people.
Deputy Head of the President's Office Iryna Vereshchuk also spoke out in favor of restricting the work of Telegram channels in Ukraine in order to protect Ukrainians from russian aggression and recruitment to commit terrorist attacks and similar crimes.
According to the survey, 76% of Ukrainians do not support a complete blocking of the Telegram messenger in Ukraine, while only 16% are in favor of restricting its work.
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