Telegram founder accuses Meta of sabotaging access in India with BGP hijacks
Pavel Durov says Reliance Jio routed traffic in ways that disrupted Telegram, while Jio denies any BGP misconfiguration.
The Register reported that Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused Indian telecom Reliance Jio of using bogus BGP routing to disrupt access to Telegram for users outside India. Jio denied the allegation and said it follows global routing best practices.
The short version
- Durov alleged on X that Reliance Jio had used BGP hijacking to interfere with Telegram reachability.
- BGP hijacking involves false route announcements that can steer internet traffic away from the intended destination.
- Durov linked the accusation to Meta's investment in Reliance, arguing that WhatsApp could benefit from Telegram disruption.
- Jio rejected the claim, saying its network is run transparently and according to routing norms.
What happened
The dispute centers on border gateway protocol, the routing system networks use to tell one another how to reach blocks of internet addresses. When an incorrect route spreads, users can have trouble connecting to a service even though that service itself is still online.
Durov claimed Reliance ignored reports about the problem and framed the incident as potentially competitive. The Register noted Meta's multibillion-dollar Reliance investment, but also reported Jio's denial that it had misconfigured routes.
Why it matters
Routing disputes are hard for ordinary users to see, yet they can make popular services appear unreliable across national borders. The story is worth tracking because it mixes internet infrastructure, platform competition and the trust operators need when route announcements cross many networks.
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full original at The Register — Networks via the source link.