This is a Nym Community post by privacy researcher Saliveja.Earlier this month, the telecoms ministry of Iraq <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/iraq-blocks-telegram-app-cites-personal-data-violations-2023-08-06/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">blocked Telegram</a>, claiming that it violated the integrity of Iraqi citizens’ data by allowing private information to remain on the platform without their consent.This week the service <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/iraq-unblock-telegram-app-platform-responded-security-requirements-statement-2023-08-12/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">was restored</a> following conversations with Telegram, which complied with the ministry’s requests.The situation in Iraq demonstrated just how quickly the basic web services people rely on can be switched off and on, stifling communication. With NymConnect, citizens can always access Telegram via the Nym mixnet no matter the state of the political situation. Here’s how:Privacy-enhanced TelegramThis was not the first time Iraq has banned applications or cut the internet. During the 2019 protests, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/03/internet-down-across-iraq-third-day-protests" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Iraq banned applications such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, while internet access was also shut down to curtail organisation and prevent reporting</a>. The Iraqi government has advanced its technological capabilities over the years, and this has been used to <a href="https://netblocks.org/reports/study-shows-extent-of-iraq-internet-shutdown-and-social-media-restrictions-during-protests-zPyXjzAE" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">suppress dissent</a>.The purpose of the following manual is not to promote Telegram but so citizens can use it with the Nym mixnet if they wish to, should a situation like this occur again.NymConnect is a one-click interface enabling you to privacy-enhance everyday applications by running them through the Nym mixnet. This privacy-enhances Telegram at the network level and allows users to access the application from locations like Iraq.See also: <a href="https://blog.nymtech.net/element-matrix-over-the-nym-mixnet-private-decentralised-and-secure-messaging-ac7f47bc47af" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Element (Matrix) over the Nym mixnet: private, decentralised and secure messaging</a>Configure Telegram with NymConnect on desktop:<ul><li>Download and install <a href="https://nymtech.net/download-nymconnect/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">NymConnect</a>. For more releases, check out <a href="https://github.com/nymtech/nym/tags" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Github</a>. NymConnect is available for Linux, Windows, and MacOS. On Linux make sure NymConnect is executable. To do this, open a terminal in the same directory and run:</li></ul>chmod &#43;x ./&lt;YOUR-NYM-CONNECT-VERSION&gt;.AppImage<ul><li>Start NymConnect</li></ul>Telegram is added to NymConnect by default.<ul><li>Click connect — the host and port will now be displayed.</li><li>Open Telegram’s proxy settings.</li></ul>Linux: Telegram -&gt; Settings -&gt; Advanced -&gt; Connection type -&gt; Use custom proxyMacOS: Telegram -&gt; Settings -&gt; Advanced -&gt; Data &amp; Storage -&gt; Connection Type -&gt; Use custom ProxyWindows: Telegram -&gt; Settings -&gt; Data and Storage -&gt; Use proxy<ul><li>Add a proxy with the Add proxy button.</li><li>Select SOCKS5 and make sure the port details are the same as those generated by NymConnect. Alternatively, follow this link: <a href="https://t.me/socks?server&#61;127.0.0.1&amp;port&#61;1080" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://t.me/socks?server&#61;127.0.0.1&amp;port&#61;1080</a></li><li>Save the proxy settings in Telegram.</li></ul>Telegram is now running through the Nym Mixnet and is privacy-enhanced!This allows you to connect from regions which have blocked Telegram.Note: if you remain idle on Telegram for a while you might lose connectivity and your messages might not get through via the SOCKS5 proxy. If that happens, reconnect NymConnect and reset the proxy again.Join the Nym Community<a href="https://discord.com/invite/nym" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Discord</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtech" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Telegram</a> //<a href="https://matrix.to/#/%23dev:nymtech.chat" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Element</a> //<a href="https://twitter.com/nymproject" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Twitter</a>Privacy loves company<a href="https://t.me/nymchan" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">English</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymchina" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> 中文</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_Russian" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Русский</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYM_turkey" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Türkçe</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymtechvn" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Tiếng Việt</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymjapanese" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> 日本</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymfrench" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Française</a> //<a href="https://t.me/NYMSPANISH" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Español</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymportuguese" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> Português</a> //<a href="https://t.me/nymkorea" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"> 한국인</a>

How to use Telegram in Iraq with NymConnect

NymProject

Other articles published on Aug 22, 2023

North Korean Cyber Attacks Yield $2 Billion in Crypto Over Five Years; VCs Get Excited About Digi...

Phoenix Group and Green Data City to Forge $300M Crypto-Mining Haven in Oman

Robert F. Kennedy Jr Calls Bitcoin an 'Excercise' of Freedom

Crypto Defender Bart Stephens Confronts $6.3M Heist in Pursuit of Justice

Memecoin Inspired by Ugandan Knuckles Enters the World of Crypto

Polygon (MATIC) Whale Transactions up 49% as Recovery Is Underway

Join our free newsletter for daily crypto updates!