Former director of special directions of one of the Telegram structures Anton Rosenberg on Wednesday, January 12, in an interview with Izvestia, assessed the likelihood of blocking the messenger in Germany.
Earlier that day, German Interior Minister Nancy Feather did not rule out the blocking of the Telegram messenger in the country, but only if the measures of influence do not work properly. At the same time, the minister spoke in favor of a unified European approach to regulating the activities of messengers, since “Germany cannot cope alone.”
According to Rosenberg, this is not the most popular resource in Germany, so if the country’s government has claims against Telegram, and it continues to ignore the requirements of German laws, it is likely to be blocked.
“Most likely, it will be blocking by IP-addresses / autonomous systems at the BGP protocol level. And I am almost sure that there is no “digital resistance” and bypass of blocking, as in Russia, [основатель Telegram Павел] Durov won’t do it. Germany is one of the largest EU countries, demonstratively provoking its power is fraught with consequences. But any blocking by IP addresses, of course, is bypassed using a proxy / VPN. The question is that not all users will do this, and the German market for Durov is certainly important, ”the specialist emphasized.
He also added that the German authorities could potentially achieve the exclusion of Telegram applications from the App Store and Google Play for users from their country, blocking push notifications for them. Potentially, Telegram traffic can also be removed from one of the world’s largest traffic exchange points DE-CIX, located in Frankfurt and having subsidiaries around the world, Rosenberg emphasized.
“In principle, Germany can also initiate claims and restrictions on access to Telegram in other EU countries. And given that the main Telegram data center is located in Amsterdam, there are many potential levers of influence on Durov, “Rosenberg concluded.
At the same time, the executive director of the “Society for the Protection of the Internet” Mikhail Klimarev, in turn, expressed doubt that in Germany it will come to blocking Telegram.
“In Germany, as in any other country, there are people in government with radical ideas who attract attention with odious statements,” Klimarev said.
According to Ivan Samoilenko, managing partner of the B&C Agency communications agency, it is obvious that there is no talk of a complete blocking of the messenger so far.
“Blocking Telegram is possible if its leadership does not eliminate the violation of the law. It is about appointing a responsible person to whom they will send all information about the violations identified and with whom the authorities can conduct a dialogue. The second requirement concerns the creation of an easily identifiable way to report illegal content discovered by the authorities. If the requirements are not met, the company will first receive a notification, and after this warning, large fines may be issued, ”he stressed.
Samoilenko also expressed the opinion that the blocking may concern extremist groups.
Earlier, on December 29, 2021, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova pointed out that a political campaign for restricting the work of Telegram is gaining momentum in Germany. Ministers and high-ranking officials are in favor of partial blocking, she said.
In the same month, Feather announced that Germany would fight hate speech on Telegram. She expressed her intention to ensure that public calls for violence in the messenger stop.
The minister also recalled that the Federal Office of Justice held two lawsuits against Telegram for violating the law on the protection of the Network. At the same time, Telegram representatives left the relevant claims without comment, the Heise Medien newspaper wrote.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
