German minister threatens Telegram ban

Germany believes that Telegram continues to violate German law, because the chat app does not do enough to exclude far-right groups. Closing Telegram is a possible option, according to the German minister.

Telegram extremism

Telegram is a popular privacy-friendly alternative to the chat app WhatsApp, but it is also known for its lack of moderation. As a result, many far-right groups resort to Telegram, and Germany is not happy about that.

“We cannot rule out a ban,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told Die Zeit. That would be the last option should other options fail. Germany plans to discuss options to regulate Telegram with partners in the European Union.

Last year, an American non-profit organization also called on Apple to remove Telegram from its App Store. According to the organization, Telegram is doing too little to fight violent and extremist content on its platform.

Are you worried that Telegram’s growing success is also attracting more extremism at the same time? Should Telegram act more against such groups? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of this article.