Amsterdam prohibits Telegram
Date
8/21/2024 8:48:38 AM
(MENAFN) The municipal government of Amsterdam has implemented a ban on the use of the encrypted messaging service Telegram for its civil servants' work phones, citing concerns over potential criminal activities and the risk of espionage. The decision, reportedly made in late April but only recently disclosed, was confirmed by a spokesperson for Amsterdam's IT councilor Alexander Scholtes, according to a Monday report by radio broadcaster BNR.
Scholtes justified the ban by describing Telegram as a "safe haven for hackers, cybercriminals, and drug dealers." He expressed apprehensions about the possibility of espionage being facilitated through the app. The move aligns with concerns raised by Amsterdam city councilor Fatihya Abdi last September, who advocated for a nationwide ban on Telegram, arguing that the platform was being used to recruit young people for criminal activities across the Netherlands.
The Ministry of the Interior of the Netherlands maintains a list of applications deemed "most risky" for use on official devices, and Telegram now joins this list. This action marks a significant step in a broader trend of restricting certain applications on work-related devices. Last year, the Dutch government also prohibited the use of the Chinese-owned short-video platform TikTok on work phones due to similar security concerns.
Telegram, which has approximately two million users in the Netherlands, is a widely used messaging app known for its encrypted communications and channel feature, which allows users to broadcast messages and updates to a wide audience. The app has gained popularity globally, particularly as alternatives like WhatsApp have adjusted their privacy policies
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