Officials of the Verkhovna Rada Office were banned from installing and using Telegram on their personal computers

Ukrainian Parliament staff banned from using Telegram for work purposes on both work and personal Devices.

This information was shared by MP Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, chair of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech, on his Telegram channel. He posted the corresponding directive.

According to Yurchyshyn, the directive was issued by the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) based on new guidelines regarding the use of Telegram, proposed by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. The regulations include the following provisions:

• Mandatory two-factor authentication and disabling of contact synchronization;
• Locking access to a computer if left unattended to prevent unauthorized access to accounts;
• A ban on sharing work-related data and official communication via Telegram;
• A ban on installing and using Telegram on work computers or personal computers used for official activities.

“I believe these security measures are quite reasonable. Unfortunately, there have already been cases where unauthorized individuals obtained government employee data through Telegram on work devices. This directive minimizes those risks. It is important to note that this applies only to employees of the Verkhovna Rada Secretariat and does not restrict the use of the messenger for personal purposes,” the MP explained.

It is worth noting that at the end of September, Ukrainian officials and military personnel were also banned from using Telegram on official devices.

Meanwhile, the Verkhovna Rada is considering a proposal to require Telegram and other social networks to disclose the identities of administrators of anonymous channels, allegedly spreading Russian propaganda.