Telegram Ban: Following the ban on Telegram, people are looking for alternative ways to access the platform. Consequently, there has been a sharp rise in both VPN downloads and usage in India.

Telegram Ban: After the temporary ban on Telegram in India, users are seeking other methods to access the service. This trend is evidenced by the rapid increase in VPN downloads and usage across the country. Proton VPN reports a significant surge in demand for VPNs in India following the ban. The company stated on X (formerly Twitter) that hourly registrations in India rose by 150% on Tuesday, while daily registrations increased by 120% on Wednesday. This indicates that people are turning to VPNs to continue using Telegram.

First, understand why Telegram was banned.

A NEET re-examination is scheduled for June 21. To prevent paper leaks prior to this, the government has banned Telegram until June 22. Additionally, orders have been issued to disable Telegram's message-editing feature until June 30. The government alleges that the messaging platform is being used to leak question papers. In an affidavit submitted to the court, the government leveled serious allegations against Telegram, claiming the platform has become a "new dark web" and is being used for cybercrimes.

People are now rushing to download VPNs.

Although Telegram cannot be accessed in India due to the ban, users are finding workarounds using VPNs. A VPN masks the user's IP address, making it easier to access banned services. David Peterson, General Manager of Proton VPN, tweeted that VPN registrations surged following the Telegram ban. However, Peterson's X account has since been blocked in India. Beyond VPN sign-ups, Google Trends data also shows that people have been searching for terms like "telegram vpn" and "vpn for telegram" over the past two days. This indicates that people are now finding ways to access this banned platform.

How does a VPN work?

A VPN—or Virtual Private Network—secures your internet connection. It masks the user's actual IP address; effectively, the user's geolocation appears to change, with the VPN server's IP address showing up instead of their own. A VPN converts your online information into an encrypted format, making it difficult to hack.