A user operating under the alias Whiterbbit has reached out to the developers of the Telegram messenger with a request to add a feature that would allow hiding the number of subscribers, visits and reposts. Whiterbbit proposes showing only approximate values of these metrics instead, as seen in their post on Telegram’s bug tracking system.
In a recent development, the Russian government has passed a law in August 2024, which mandates that every blog, channel, or group with more than 10 thousand subscribers must register with Roskomnadzor. Failure to comply with this law will result in severe consequences such as a ban on advertising from Russian advertisers, reposts by other channels, and the ability to collect donations.
If the owner of a channel fails to register as required, Roskomnadzor has the authority to request social networks to block the page of the non-compliant user. The individual behind the request expresses concern that such measures could potentially lead to Telegram being inaccessible in Russia once again, pointing out that this practice is not commonly observed in other countries.