India has cut off access to the messaging app Telegram for a week, and users are scrambling to get back online.
According to TechCrunch, the government imposed the block over concerns about exam-related fraud. Telegram, for its part, argues that India should block specific offending content rather than shut down an entire platform used by millions of people.
The response from users was swift. As reported by Jagmeet Singh for TechCrunch, citing data from analytics firm Appfigures, daily downloads of major VPN apps in India rose 49% on June 16, the day the ban was announced. VPNs (virtual private networks) let people route their internet traffic through servers in other locations, a common way to reach blocked services. Appfigures found that two apps, Proton and Turbo, recorded the largest increases.
Beyond VPNs, TechCrunch reports that the shutdown also pushed people toward rival messaging apps as they looked for alternative ways to stay in touch.
Why it matters: the episode is a clear example of how blunt, platform-wide bans tend to backfire — instead of cutting off access, they nudge ordinary users toward workaround tools that route around government controls entirely.