
Telegram is down - Pirolita
https://telegram.org/
======
sterlind
EDIT: I am still able to send and receive messages through the app. Looks like
a partial outage only.

Seems like this could be related to Russia's attempt to block the service [1].

Since the 500 message is served under a valid TLS certificate, it seems likely
that Russia managed to down their backend, leaving nginx with nothing to proxy
to.

Since Russia has attempted to force Google and Amazon's hands by blocking wide
swaths of cloud subnets in the country, they might have caved under the
pressure and suspended Telegram's VMs. Alternatively, perhaps the FSB pulled
off a successful hack.

1\. [https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/04/in-
ef...](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/04/in-effort-to-
shut-down-telegram-russia-blocks-amazon-google-network-addresses/)

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on_and_off
Damn :/

I have come to love Telegram. Its mobile client is impeccable, which is all
the more impressive after you look at its open source code..

Web and native osX clients are just as great (the OsX client is even a great
example of a native app done well).

And sadly, not being owned by FAAMG is a big plus nowadays.

If the worst happens and Telegram is definitively down, what do you suggest I
use to replace it ?

~~~
roryisok
Same here, the app has way better features than WhatsApp, which of course is
the obvious alternative. Signal is supposedly very good and has a desktop app
to match, but no Windows Phone client makes it a deal breaker for me

~~~
on_and_off
I purposefully did not name WhatsApp.

I use it of course and as far as the clients go, they are ok.

I trust its owners less and less with each passing day though.

~~~
roryisok
Likewise. I detest the organisation and everything they stand for. And yet, i
have to use it, because lots of my didn't family are on WhatsApp and not on
telegram

~~~
reitanqild
Took a few months but my family is now on Telegrams.

They were the last of my groups to migrate.

------
bigiain
The Verge is reporting Russia has blocked all their hosting IP addresses.
Where by "their" I mean AWS IP addresses they might use. only 15 mullion of
them. No biggie, right?

[https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/17/17246150/telegram-
russia-...](https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/17/17246150/telegram-russia-ban)

I wonder if there's some low level network tech who knew _exactly_ what he was
doing when his bosses bosses boss _demanded_ to know every IP address
Telegram's hosting company used, and just happily handed over a bunch of /15s
and went to buy popcorn? (That's what _I_ would have done...)

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dingo_bat
Quite concerning. IIRC Telegram is based in Russia. And Russia has been trying
to ban the app. Maybe they just decided to shut down the company itself. It's
within the state's power anyway.

~~~
throwaway84742
You IIRC incorrectly. It is not based in Russia. Moreover, its founder got
relieved of his business (VKontakte), by a state affiliated oligarch,
whereupon he bought a passport from St Kitts and left Russia to never return.
So he’s pretty pissed at the regime.

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xvilka
Wonder why is flagged now.

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elitistphoenix
Let the speculation about Russian involvement begin!

~~~
candiodari
Well ...

* the author is Russian

* the operators are Russian

* the latest state to want to shut it down is Russian

* the telecom operator that was working hard to block it was Russian

So I think we can conclusively say that whatever is going on, it was "the"
Russians !

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Hydraulix989
Time for a Blockchain version.

~~~
majewsky
Is that like some new sort of Godwin's Law? "As an HN discussion grows longer,
the probability of a blockchain implementation approaches 1."

~~~
Hydraulix989
Are you kidding me?

A decentralized encrypted chat is completely resistant to such government
censorship. Meanwhile, all Putin has to do is yank the plug on Telegram's
servers. And of course, no amount of coercion could force anyone to give up
the keys.

This is one of the killer apps for blockchain.

