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MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Telegram has become the second most downloaded application in the United States after President Donald Trump was suspended from Twitter and Facebook, reports The Telegraph.
About 545,000 people in the U.S. downloaded the Telegram between Wednesday and Sunday, almost three times more than in the same period last week, the newspaper said on Monday, citing data company Sensor Tower after the social network Parler was taken down.
CEO John Matze said on Monday that Parler is likely to remain offline for longer than expected after Big Tech bans led other providers to abandon the service, which is popular with Trump supporters.
Previously, Google, Apple and Amazon suspended their services to the social network after accusing it of not acting on posts related to violence on Capitol Hill.
© REUTERS / POOL
U.S. Capitol officers take positions as protesters enter the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2020 Capitol elections in Washington, USA, January 6, 2021.
On Saturday, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said, quoted by The Telegraph, that these three companies “represent a much bigger problem for freedom than Twitter”. Durov said Telegram is working on a way to continue to work on iPhones even if Apple removes Telegram from the App Store.
Jen Goldbeck, a professor of information studies at the University of Maryland, told The Telegraph that Telegram could become a “long-term home” for Trump supporters than Parler because it is less likely to be taken offline.
On January 6, a group of Trump supporters broke into the United States Capitol building, clashing with the police, damaging properties, confiscating the inauguration stage and occupying the roundabout. The unrest came after Trump asked his supporters to protest the alleged electoral fraud during the last election. The president who has since stepped down has been blocked on all major social networks at least until after he stepped down.