Moscow Court Blocks Telegram Chat App After $1.7 Billion ICO
- Messaging app didn’t provide encryption keys to authorities
- Almost 10 million Russians may soon lose access to Telegram
Photographer: Carl Court/Getty Images
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A Moscow court ordered telecommunications companies to block Telegram in Russia after the chat app refused to grant intelligence authorities access to users’ encrypted messages, in a blow to the company just weeks after it raised $1.7 billion from investors.
Telegram Group Inc., run by its Russian founder Pavel Durov, failed to comply with local legislation, according to the ruling Friday by Tagansky court judge Yuliya Smolina that granted a request by Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor to restrict user access with immediate effect. The decision can be appealed within 30 days.