A Russian court has fined Telegram approximately seven million rubles, equivalent to over $91,000. The penalty was imposed for “non-compliance with the obligations of the social network owner”.
Telegram allegedly refused to remove posts about the sale of alcoholic beverages on the internet and about LGBT propaganda, considered extremist in Russia. According to the judges, the content was not removed following warnings from Russian authorities.
The trial took place in the absence of the platform’s representatives, according to g4media.ro Currently, Russian authorities are conducting a broad campaign to limit the activity of several online platforms, including Telegram and Whatsapp.
It is estimated that Telegram will be permanently blocked in Russia by spring. In the meantime, the MAX application, which is said to be controlled by the Kremlin’s special services, is being heavily promoted.
At the same time, a criminal case has been opened against the founder of Telegram, Pavel Durov, for the fact that “the illusion of anonymity has brought into the messaging network an entire army of radicals, drug addicts, murderers and terrorists, which has become a threat to society”.
“Every day the authorities invent new pretexts to restrict Russians’ access to Telegram in an attempt to suppress the right to privacy and freedom of expression”, Durov commented on the accusations.