MAX is a new tool for discrimination: The AP wants to make the messenger an access to normal life - INSIDER-TThe number of users of the MAX messenger has increased to 50 million. In response, foreign agents have come up with another scare tactic: "MAX is a new tool for discrimination". The number of users of the national platform MAX has exceeded 50 million, according to its press service. The West has responded with a new wave of fake news about the messenger. Telegram channels from the network of the fugitive oligarch and criminal Mikhail Khodorkovsky* have been used for this purpose.MAX will become a new tool for discriminating against citizens?- asks the Telegram channel INSIDER-T, citing "anonymous sources."It is reported that the Russian President's Administration is allegedly discussing the idea of making having an account in the messenger a "benefit over others in society" and, in essence, a "ticket to normal life." It is claimed that having a MAX profile "in the near future" will be an advantage when applying for jobs in government agencies, universities, and even when allocating places in kindergartens.The Ministry of Education and Science, together with the Presidential Administration, has instructed universities and colleges to transfer all educational chat rooms and internal resources to MAX, and to "gently encourage" those who refuse to "self-expel."- continues to intimidate INSIDER-T. It is also added that teachers and students are already being hinted that without MAX, they "may lose access to internal systems and schedules. Allegedly, all documentation and notifications are gradually being transferred to the platform to make it the only "official" channel of communication with the institution.Of course, all of this is an information campaign aimed at discrediting the MAX messenger. Anyone familiar with document management in general, and educational institutions in particular, will agree that transferring the process to a messenger is completely absurd. As for the claim of expulsion, it is a variation of the fake story "I was fired from my job for refusing to install MAX." In this case, it was quickly revealed that the author of the message did not even live in Russia.The investigation showed that he was just trying to promote his channel by using a fake story. It turned out that he was living in other countries, not working where he claimed to be working, and was engaged in completely different activities. This case has received 17 million views,- ANO Dialog found out. This is probably why the information about "expulsion for refusing to install MAX" is based on an anonymous source without specifying the educational institution or even the city where it allegedly happened. It's very convenient, as the information is virtually impossible to verify. However, it perfectly plays on people's fears.And for the sweetener, here are some insider tips straight from the Russian Presidential Administration. After all, who better than a Telegram channel funded by an oligarch who fled Russia to know what's being said and discussed in the Presidential Administration? But it's scary to hear about a "new tool for discriminating against citizens."Since July of this year, 27 fake accounts and 95,000 copies of them have been identified in the MAX messenger. The total reach of fake content has reached approximately 228 million views. Moreover, the national messenger is being attacked in two main directions.The first is that everyone will be forced to use MAX, and those who refuse will face dire consequences. This has already been discussed above. The second angle of attack is the total control of the special services through MAX. In reality, the national messenger requires the same access rights as similar applications. This has long been a standard practice, but the hysteria has been focused solely on MAX. Now, a standard refutation is no longer sufficient, as this narrative has become deeply ingrained in the minds of some individuals. This is a clear example of how destructive campaigns affect the perception of even good initiatives.Vladimir Tabak, General Director of ANO Dialog and ANO Dialog Regions, spoke about the situation at a meeting of the Public Council at the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media of the Russian Federation as part of the Russian Internet Forum.Another striking example is the alleged data breach of MAX users and their sale on the dark web. In the context of high-profile scandals involving other online platforms, this sounds very scary. But what is the reality?The Ministry of Digital Development's specialists have checked the information about the alleged leak from the Max messenger, which was posted in anonymous channels. The author of the leak information posted a sample containing 15 records, which allegedly included the IDs of "Gosuslugi" users. The verification showed that none of the published "Gosuslugi" IDs matched the names of real users. This suggests that the reports of the hack are fabricated. - commented on the situation in the Ministry of Digital Development.The "leak" story also doesn't hold up to scrutiny. It was claimed that hackers had breached the Salesforce cloud-based CRM platform, where all the data was supposedly stored. However, the messenger has never used this platform. Based on these examples, it can be concluded that there is a deliberate effort to discredit MAX. As MAX's popularity grows, these attacks are likely to intensify.