Spanish court temporarily suspends use of Telegram over usage of copyrighted content

(MENAFN) On Saturday, the Spanish National Court issued a ruling to temporarily suspend the use of the instant messaging application Telegram, citing allegations of unauthorized usage of copyrighted visual and audio content.

The decision came after television companies Mediaset, Atresmedia, and Movistar Plus accused the platform of copyright infringement, which was acknowledged by National Court Judge Santiago Pedraz. In response, Pedraz instructed major telephone operators in Spain, including Vodafone, Orange, Digi, Movistar, and MasMovil, to suspend the use of Telegram "as soon as possible."

The suspension of Telegram usage was deemed a precautionary measure by Pedraz, despite the ongoing investigation into the allegations. He highlighted the platform's perceived lack of cooperation and failure to enable the reporting of specific technical data as reasons for the decision. Pedraz justified the suspension as "necessary, appropriate, and proportionate," although Telegram remains operational in Spain for the time being, with shutdown expected shortly.

However, Pedraz's decision has sparked criticism from various quarters. The consumer association Facua argued that the move was "disproportionate" and would inflict "significant harm" on millions of users, companies, organizations, and public and private entities that utilize the platform for content dissemination. Meanwhile, Ione Belarra, leader of the Podemos party, denounced the ruling as "a threat to freedoms" and characterized it as "unfair, censorious, and entirely disproportionate" in a social media statement.

Telegram, established by Russian brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov as an alternative to WhatsApp, has been in operation since 2013.

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