Telegram, the messaging powerhouse, has been banned in Spain on a case investigating the hosting of unauthorized content owned by media companies in Spain. The Audiencia Nacional (National Court), one of the highest courts in Spain, has authorized this ban until Telegram cooperates by sending the required info to the court.

Audiencia Nacional Bans Telegram in Spain

Telegram is facing operating difficulties in Spain. Audiencia Nacional (National Court), one of the highest courts in the country, has issued a temporary ban order for the messaging app due to its involvement in a case linked to the hosting of unauthorized content.

Mediaset, Atresmedia, Movistar, and Egeda, the big four media companies in the country, allege that Telegram is being used as a service for hosting and disseminating unauthorized content generated by them, infringing on national copyright laws.

According to Euronews, Santiago Pedraz, the judge in charge of the case required some information from Telegram to advance the investigation. Nonetheless, the company was unresponsive and Pedraz issued a temporary ban until the company collaborates in the probe.

The Telegram ban was slated to start being enacted on Monday (March 25), some carriers have already started blocking access to the app during the weekend in compliance with the order. While the enacted ban has no expiration date, legal sources have stated that it might be temporary and could only last a few days.

The measure affects 8 million users in Spain, who constitute 18% of the national population. Some have taken it to social media to express their disagreement with this measure, vowing to use alternative methods to keep accessing the platform despite the enacted ban.

Telegram has faced similar measures in other countries. In April, it was temporarily banned in Brazil due to its lack of cooperation in a national crusade against school violence. Also, in 2018, Russian courts ordered blocking access to the messaging app after it failed to deliver the keys needed to decrypt users’ messages as part of an investigation into international terrorist groups.

What do you think about the measures against Telegram in Spain? Tell us in the comments section below.

Source: news.bitcoin.com.