Opposition tries to ban Telegram, following Russian scenario - Hetmantsev
Kyiv • UNN
The opposition plans strict amendments to bill No. 11115 to block the messenger. Danylo Hetmantsev called the initiative to ban the resource a disgrace and a shame.
Opposition MPs in the Verkhovna Rada are trying to ban Ukrainians' access to the Telegram messenger, allegedly under the guise of combating unreliable information. The head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy, Danylo Hetmantsev, called this a Russian scenario for regulating the information space, UNN reports.
"It's not about de-anonymization — it's impossible. It's about a ban. That is, such an anti-Telegram coalition proposes that we do to Telegram the same thing Russia does to it: restrict citizens' access to it," he emphasized.
Hetmantsev criticized such approaches, noting that a complete ban on the resource is unacceptable.
"Solving the problem of disseminating unreliable information through a complete ban on a resource that is the main source of information for Ukrainians is a shame and an outrage. It's shameful to be afraid of your own people and what they write to you in comments, where there is and cannot be censorship," the MP noted.
At the same time, Bill No. 11115, which concerns the regulation of digital platforms, including Telegram, has already been registered in the Verkhovna Rada. The document provides for the introduction of basic requirements for platforms: disclosure of information about owners and sources of funding, the presence of an official representative office in Ukraine, and the obligation to respond to requests regarding national security threats. In case of non-compliance with these requirements, sanctions are proposed - from financial to inclusion in the list of platforms with an opaque ownership structure.
At the same time, according to sources in the Verkhovna Rada, a relatively mild version of the bill has been presented so far. However, for the second reading, the opposition plans to introduce harsh amendments to it with norms that will effectively block Telegram's activities in Ukraine.
According to surveys, more than 80% of Ukrainians today use this messenger as a source of information, including for accessing news and journalistic investigations, as this platform is not subject to censorship.