ST Explains: Why is Telegram so popular and what can be done about its problems?

The Straits Times, page B3 - https://www.straitstimes.com/tech/st-explains-telegram-popularity-perils-and-precautions

Messaging app Telegram has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons – such as for being linked to crime, misinformation and abuse. It is optional for users to provide a phone number when registering a Telegram account. “Anonymity plays a large role in the spread of misinformation because there is no mechanism of accountability,” said Assoc Prof Edson C. Tandoc Jr from the NTU.

Prof Tandoc, who is from the university’s Centre for Information Integrity and the Internet, added: “Take, for example, anti-vaccination groups, where people share information that may not be backed by evidence. Just the volume of messages that come in every day can make it convincing for some people.”