Senior German Official Asks Telegram To Be Removed From App Store And Play Store, Accused Of Protecting Extremists

Telegram is considered to be protecting extremis because it doesn't want to help track negative content on its platform. (photo credit: pixabay)

JAKARTA A senior German official on Tuesday, December 14 asked his country's government to immediately remove the messaging application Telegram from the Apple and Google app stores. The request comes after the Russian app continued to ignore orders to help track extremist content.

In Germany, Telegram has been accused of playing a role in fueling an increasingly violent anti-vaccine conspiracy theory subculture that exchanged news stories about the alleged dangers and orchestrated protests that spilled over into violence recently.

The app, which says it is not subject to "government censorship," has become increasingly popular with activists and protesters, especially as platforms like Facebook have become more responsive to government pressure to crack down on those who spread lies, threats, or conspiracy theories.

Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on the statement.

Last month, a group of protesters held a torchlight meeting outside the home of the Saxony regional interior minister, widely seen as an implicit threat of violence against him.

"What is happening in Telegram groups and channels violates compliance rules of Apple and Google offering it in their stores," Boris Pistorius, Lower Saxony's regional interior minister, told Der Spiegel.

"We must immediately talk to them and persuade them to stop distributing Telegram," he added.

Germany has some of the world's strictest compliance rules for social media networks, requiring them to respond quickly to reports of extremist content.

But Telegram, which according to its own website was founded in St. Petersburg, and now based in Dubai, has not responded to a request for assistance from the German justice ministry to help track down extremist content writers.

The app, which presents itself as a libertarian alternative to messengers and other social networks, has also gained a loyal following among opposition activists in authoritarian countries such as Belarus and Russia, who value its ability to evade state censorship.