[roninorder]

As far as I know VK is not nearly as popular as Telegram specifically as a communication tool, aka a messaging app. WhatsApp and Telegram being by far the most popular options in Russia.

> Telegram can be used as a tool to spread your disinfo, masking it as truth.

So can TV, newspapers, local websites, etc etc. And yet we know what happened to all Russian media that tried to spread messages contradicting the official position. I don't believe Russian gov (or Soviet for that matter) is confident enough to allow dissenting opinions to be spread on such a massive scale without a high degree of influence and/or monitoring.

I know usually the burden of proof is on the side of the conspiracists, but in this case I am not taking any chances. If it's a Russian company that is widely used by the Russian ideological state apparatus, I have zero trust in whatever their encryption promises are.