They had no problem when it was the meeting place for far left and jihadi groups, but now that free thinkers have migrated there from Facebook and Twitter, it must be shut down.
[DW] The messaging app Telegram has blocked dozens of channels in Germany, including an account belonging to a prominent conspiracy theorist, the Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported on Friday.The move comes amid increased pressure from the German government and authorities, who have expressed concern over groups using the app to spread disinformation about the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...pandemic and organize protests that have turned
It is "the first time" Telegram has taken action against the spread of "hate and incitement" on its platform in Germany, the paper noted.
One of the Telegram channels that was closed down belonged to conspiracy theorist and former vegan chef Attila Hildmann, who spread antisemitic messages as well as disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic to his followers on the platform, the paper reported.
It was not immediately clear which other channels were affected.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she would continue her push to get Telegram to cooperate with German laws.
"Telegram must no longer be an accelerant for right-wing Death Eaters, conspiracy theorists and other agitators. Death threats and other dangerous messages of hate must be deleted and have legal consequences," she said.
Under German law, social media giants must remove illegal content — such as hate speech and death threats — or face large fines. Platforms such as Telegram, however, have been harder to pin down than more mainstream sites like Twitter and Facebook.
GROWING EXTREMISM CONCERNS
Telegram, which is based in Dubai, is a popular app which provides encrypted messaging and has so far largely evaded regulatory oversight.
Experts in Germany have increasingly voiced concerns that the app is becoming a hotbed for Death Eater activity and radicalization. Far-right and Death Eater groups have increasingly turned to alternative platforms like Telegram after being kicked off major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
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