In September 2015, in response to a question about the use of Telegram by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), Pavel Durov stated: "I think that privacy, ultimately, and our right for privacy is more important than our fear of bad things happening, like terrorism."[172] Durov sarcastically suggested to ban words because terrorists use them for communication.[173] ISIS recommended Telegram to its supporters and members[174][175][176] and in October 2015 they were able to double the number of followers of their official channel to 9,000.[177] In November 2015, Telegram announced that it had blocked 78 public channels operated by ISIS for spreading propaganda and mass communication.[178][179][180] Telegram stated that it would block public channels and bots that are related to terrorism, but it would not honor "politically-motivated censorship" based on "local restrictions on freedom of speech" and that it allowed "peaceful expression of alternative opinions."[181] Telegram's usage for ISIS propaganda reignited the encryption debate and encrypted messaging applications faced new scrutiny.[182][183] It also led to tabloids labeling Telegram as a "jihadi messaging app".[184]