The News
Encrypted messaging app Telegram has changed the way organized crime networks in Southeast Asia operate, according to a United Nations report. Hacked credit card details and passwords, along with deepfake software, are now openly traded on the app, the UN found, adding that cyber gangs largely based in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos scammed people and institutions out of $37 billion last year.
The findings are the latest in a series of accusations implicating Telegram, whose CEO was recently arrested in France for allegedly allowing criminal activity to flourish on the platform. After the arrest — which led Telegram to agree to share some user data with law enforcement — several extremist groups moved to a new platform, SimpleX Chat, which promises more privacy protections, Wired reported.