Migrators from Kakaotalk.
Kakaotalk is everywhere. Almost all Korean have this mobile messenger
in their smart phone. It is no exaggeration to say that people switched their
old 2g phone to smart phone in order to use this Kakaotalk. It offers a wide
variety of comfortable functions at no cost; sending a file, sharing videos,
group chatting etc. No wonder it is widely beloved. But recently, many Korean
Kakaotalk users have abandoned KaKaotalk, and migrating to a foreign mobile
messenger service, named ‘Telegram’. The number of migrators is growing more and more.
What happened to them?
and What is Telegram?
Privacy
threat by Korean Government
In the middle of September this year, President
Park Geun-hye blasted groundless online rumors, arguing that those malicious
postings would divide the public and social cohesion. Park’s argument led to the
prosecution’s unprecedented move to investigate a Japanese journalist for writing
critical report on the South Korean president’s clumsy measures on the day the
Sewol ferry sank in April. Moreover, The prosecution announced that they will conduct a real-time
monitoring of social media to crack down on libelous rumors.
Almost all
Korean users are skeptical about this issue. They are expressing fear that their
private messages on mobile apps such as Kakaotalk, would be closely monitored by
authorities, which led to a massive migration of Kakaotalk users to new shelter, Telegram. Please look at
this new clip..!
What is Telegram?
Telegram
is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security. It was launched in 2013
by the brothers Nikolai Durov and Pavel Durov, the founders of VKontakte,
Russia's largest social network service. Its company is based in Berlin.
History?
VKontakte was launched in September 2006 and now has become the
largest Russian social networking service, most popular in Russia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. In 2013 Russia government requested Pavel
to hand over the personal VK accounts of Ukrainian anti-government protesters,
but he directly refused it, announcing publicly “It’s unlawful”. Before long he
was fired from the CEO of VK, then he fled to Germany saying “No plan to go
back.” In Germany, Durov brother launched Telegram and start worldwide service.
For more
information, please visit to the website below :
vs.
Before long,
they start service for Korean user, The app tailored to Korean language. Now the growing number of Korean migrators rapidly reached to 3 million. Then, why they are fleeing to the Telegram?
Why
Telegram?
Differences
of Telegram with other Apps?
First, Telegram is cloud-based system. As a result, you can access your
messages from several devices at once, including tablets and computers, and
share an unlimited number of photos, videos and files of any size.
Second, It’s
heavily Encryped! Telegram was chiefly designed to avoid the tight monitoring
of Russian security authorities. Whatever is talked about on it is not stored
in the company’s main servers and is strictly encrypted, which makes it
difficult for outsiders to monitor the content of messages. So you don’t have
to be worried about the security problem anymore.
Furthermore It
offers an extraordinary function, “Secret Chat”.
A secret chat
is a private chat wherein communication takes place using messages encrypted
with a key held only by the chat’s participants. By definition, third ones can
never access to the content without one of the devices.
If you want to
know more about the distinctive functions of Telegram, please watch this review video! :)
My
Opinion
Something wrong
is happening in Korea. How can the government limit the
nation’s freedom of expression? What makes a community devided is not a mere rumor
about the leader, but "the action of leader". Government must retrieve their action
as soon as possible before poeple's distrust grow more.
As to Telegram, though it has an improved security system and offers a better
privacy, I think it’s not useful yet. Kakaotalk is functionally
greater, more familiar and more convenient to use. Above all, all of my friends
still use Kakaotalk. It has been more than 10 days since I have joined Telegram,
but even only one message hasn't came to me yet. Nobody wants to talk by telegram.
In my opinion, the 'Telegram Boom’ will soon be over. Some recent articles say board of
directors of Kakao has decided not to permit the prosecution's try. Furthermore, several social
organizations are preparing the enactment of a law for protecting nation’s cyber
privacy. (Refer to this article: http://www.mediatoday.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=119553)
Government can never steal the nation’s right. Kakaotalk will be safe..
