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Updated October 18th, 2021 at 22:41 IST

Edward Snowden criticises Telegram for not taking down accounts posing as him

Edward Snowden took to Twitter to inform his followers about the activities of fake accounts on Telegram, which are being used in his name along with his photo.

Reported by: Amrit Burman
Edward Snowden
Image: AP | Image:self
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Internet often witness misuse of social media platforms, ranging from fake accounts to posting misappropriated content or leaking secret information. Former Central Intelligence Agency Officer, Edward Snowden also seems to have fallen prey to scammers on social media. Snowden revealed a number of fake accounts on Telegram using his identity. 

The former CIA officer, who has mostly been in controversy, took to the microblogging site to inform his followers about the activities of "fake accounts" on Telegram, which are being used in his name along with his photo. Snowden lashed out at Telegram for not taking strict action against these accounts posing as him. In a series of tweets, he shared a few screenshots of those fake accounts and strongly criticized the texting app.

Snowden said, "Telegram knows the below account is an impersonator, and I don't have an account with them. But they let this guy continue to post insane garbage—as "Official_EdwardSnowden"—and even a swastika, which Telegram has served to over 80,000 views. He further said, "Great job, guys. "Just super".

He also retweeted an older tweet where a user had highlighted the fake activities going on under his name and other celebrities. In the second tweet shared by Snowden, an image is seen where his photographs and name are used promoting "Trump coin". In response to this Snowden wrote, "Don't tell me @telegram didn't know about the scam-ring running this account, either: they were contacted by the media about it ages ago, which even wrote a story about it."

He further questioned, "What did What did @Telegram do when asked for comment? They refused to even respond!". Snowden stated that the Telegram was aware of the scam going on under his name, but they chose to ignore them. Snowden's channel on Telegram has nearly 70,000 subscribers.

Who is Edward Snowden?

Edward Snowden is an ex-computer intelligence analyst who worked for the CIA as a subcontractor. He was accused of disclosing confidential data of the United States and was charged with espionage for spying on the US. His disclosures revealed the depth and scope of the US eyeing other countries, including regular eavesdropping on international leaders. Snowden was caught at Moscow airport where he was kept for more than a month by the US authorities. Later, the whistleblower was given refuge in Russia and obtained a three-year residency permit, which was later replaced with permanent residency.

Image: AP

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Published October 18th, 2021 at 22:41 IST

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