Telegram Open Network

Telegram Open Network (The Open Network, abb. as TON) is a blockchain-based decentralized computer network, originally developed by Telegram team. In May 2020, Telegram withdrew from the project after litigation from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).[1] Free TON and TON Foundation projects continued development of the technology, referring to it as The Open Network.[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telegram_Open_Network

Since the release of Telegram messenger in 2013, its CEO Pavel Durov emphasized that instant messenger won't include advertising. According to documents related to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) v. Telegram suit (2020), by 2017, the self-funded startup needed money to pay for servers and services. Durov considered venture capital financing but decided against it until the problems are solved.[3] In the mid-December 2017 Bloomberg interview, Durov announced that Telegram would begin monetization in early 2018.[4] TechCrunch had soon confirmed that the company planned launch a blockchain project named “The Open Network” or “Telegram Open Network” (TON) and its native cryptocurrency “Gram”.

Free TON is a project to continue development of Telegram Open Network technology, the source code of which is freely available under GNU GPL.[36] Free TON's token titled "TON Crystal" or just "TON" is distributed as a reward for contributions to the network.[37] Of five billion tokens issued at the moment[when?] Free TON was launched, 85% were reserved for users, 5% for validators, and 10% for the developers (including 5% dedicated for TON Labs, the developer of TON OS middleware for TON blockchain, which is the essential part of Free TON).