The Amsterdam authorities have banned all officials from using the Telegram messenger on their work phones, Dutch radio station BNR reported. According to local government officials, the application is often used for criminal activities and can be used as a tool for espionage purposes.
According to city authorities Telegram is a “safe haven for hackers, cybercriminals and drug dealers”. The city is also concerned about possible espionage through the app, even though it no longer has official ties to Russia.
Telegram was founded in Russia, but its headquarters were moved to Dubai, and the company is officially registered in the British Virgin Islands.
As reported by BNR, although no other municipality has banned Netherlands use of Telegram, concerns about the app exist across the country. In recent years, the messaging app has made headlines in Dutch newspapers for its use in drug and firearms trafficking, child pornography and the recruitment of young people to plant explosives.
Authorities warn against Telegram
The Dutch parliament has been discussing a possible ban on the app in the country. earlier this year, but then-Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgoz said it would be too great an infringement on freedom of speech.
Last year, the AIVD intelligence service warned of an intelligence threat involving applications from countries developing “offensive cyber programs.” Examples of such countries include Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. According to BNR, the Interior Ministry maintains a list of the “most risky” apps that are not allowed to be used on the work phones of government officials.
In 2023, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported that the list included the Russian app VKontakte and the Chinese shopping apps Temu and AliExpress.
Telegram has almost 1 billion users worldwide, including almost 2 million in the Netherlands. It is the largest app banned by Dutch authorities since the national government banned TikTok from civil servants’ phones last year.
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