A Moscow court has fined Telegram Messenger Inc. 7 million roubles (about $80,000) for failing to delete content deemed extremist, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday.
The ruling cited Telegram’s refusal to take down information and channels that allegedly encouraged terrorist attacks and called for protests aimed at overthrowing the Russian government. Specific examples included calls for violence on railway transport and messages purportedly aimed at aiding Ukrainian forces.
"Telegram Messenger Inc., being the owner of an information resource, failed to remove information or channels containing calls for extremist activity," TASS quoted from court documents.
Telegram did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Founded by Russian-born Pavel Durov, the Dubai-based platform has close to 1 billion users and remains widely used across Russia, Ukraine, and several other former Soviet republics. It has become a critical tool for both official and opposition communication in wartime and crisis situations.
Durov himself has faced increasing scrutiny from Russian authorities. He returned to Dubai in March, following several months in France after his August 2024 arrest tied to investigations involving Telegram’s use for fraud, money laundering, and distribution of child abuse material.
Russia has previously clashed with Telegram over content moderation, encryption policies, and access to user data. Tuesday’s court decision marks the latest in a series of escalating efforts by the Kremlin to regulate digital platforms it deems hostile or subversive.
Ukraine is preparing a contract to buy 25 Patriot air defence systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, in what would be a huge boost to Kyiv's abi...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for October 20th, covering the latest developments you need to know....
It was "not nice" that Russian President Vladimir Putin might travel to EU member Hungary for talks on Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas sa...
Indonesian students plan protests in Jakarta on Prabowo Subianto’s one-year anniversary, following recent violent demonstrations....
U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him India will stop buying Russian oil, while warning t...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for October 20th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Two Hong Kong airport security staff were killed early on Monday after a cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the runway on landing, collided with their security patrol vehicle and pushed it into the sea.
Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba-backed Ant Group (688688.SS) and e-commerce company JD.com have halted plans to issue stablecoins in Hong Kong after the government raised concerns about the increasing influence of privately controlled currencies, the Financial Times reported on Saturday.
New Zealand's annual inflation accelerated in the third quarter, reaching 3.0%, which aligns with analysts' expectations and is at the upper end of the central bank's target range, according to official data released on Monday.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Ukraine is preparing a contract to buy 25 Patriot air defence systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, in what would be a huge boost to Kyiv's abilities to defend against Russia's aerial bombardments.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for October 20th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
It was "not nice" that Russian President Vladimir Putin might travel to EU member Hungary for talks on Ukraine, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.
Indonesian students plan protests in Jakarta on Prabowo Subianto’s one-year anniversary, following recent violent demonstrations.
U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated on Sunday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told him India will stop buying Russian oil, while warning that New Delhi would continue paying "massive" tariffs if it did not do so.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment