How to use Telegram in Iraq with NymConnect

Iraq recently blocked (and then un-blocked) Telegram in the country. Here’s how citizens can connect to Telegram via the Mixnet whenever…

Author: Nym

August 17, 20233 mins read

Iraq recently blocked (and then un-blocked) Telegram in the country. Here’s how citizens can connect to Telegram via the Nym mixnet.

This is a Nym Community post by privacy researcher Saliveja.

Languages: Française // Русский

Earlier this month, the telecoms ministry of Iraq blocked Telegram, 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 was restored 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 Telegram

This was not the first time Iraq has banned applications or cut the internet. During the 2019 protests, Iraq banned applications such as Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp, while internet access was also shut down to curtail organisation and prevent reporting. The Iraqi government has advanced its technological capabilities over the years, and this has been used to suppress dissent.

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.

Configure Telegram with NymConnect on desktop:

Download and install NymConnect. For more releases, check out Github. 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:

chmod +x ./(YOUR-NYM-CONNECT-VERSION).AppImage

Start NymConnect

Telegram is added to NymConnect by default.

Click connect — the host and port will now be displayed.
Open Telegram’s proxy settings.

Linux: Telegram -> Settings -> Advanced -> Connection type -> Use custom proxy

MacOS: Telegram -> Settings -> Advanced -> Data & Storage -> Connection Type -> Use custom Proxy

Windows: Telegram -> Settings -> Data and Storage -> Use proxy

Add a proxy with the Add proxy button.
Select SOCKS5 and make sure the port details are the same as those generated by NymConnect. Alternatively, follow this link: (https://t.me/socks?server=127.0.0.1&port=1080)
Save the proxy settings in Telegram.

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.