DP.ru’s blog has published an article by Maxim Ali titled ‘Kashin and Plushev versus the FSB’"

Maxim Ali, Senior Associate and specialist in the IP/IT Practice at Maxima Legal, has had an article published in the DP.ru blog which examines the situation around the claims that the FSB’s requests to be provided with the decryption codes for messages sent on Telegram, a popular messaging app in Russia, be recognised as unlawful.  The claims have been submitted to the Meshchansky Court in Moscow by journalists Oleg Kashin and Alexander Plushev.

Maxim Ali noted that at present there is not information published on the court’s website about the issuing of the claims, it may be that the court proceedings have simply been announced and that the claims have not yet been submitted.

Maxim added that the lawyers from Agora, who are representing Mr Kashin and Mr Plushev, had also been instructed previously by Pavel Durov to represent the interests of Telegram Messenger LLP in the matter of the company being held liable for failing to disclose the encryption keys following the request of the FSB and was fined 800,000 roubles.

In the present situation according to Maxim, the three cases may well be connected, and that the separate claims submitted by Mr Kashin and Mr Plushev are part of the lawyers’ strategy to defend Telegram.

If this is the case, then the actions of the FSB to be challenged by the claimants are, most likely, the agency’s requirement to be provided with the decryption keys, which was ignored by Telegram and which became one of the grounds for imposing a penalty in the form of a 800,000 roubles fine.

For the full version of the article, please click here.