Telegram was almost suspended in Spain due to copyright infringement

Telegram is a cloud-based messaging platform that sets itself apart by limiting the amount of restrictions on users by a great deal. This lack of security and moderation put the platform in hot water as it was almost suspended in Spain, and it’s unknown if it’s out of it yet.

The Spain High Court ordered the suspension of the popular messaging platform Telegram. However, the court dropped the order shortly after. With the looming ban on TikTok by the US, users wonder which platform will be next to get in legal trouble.

Telegram almost faced a suspension in Spain

Telegram is the fourth most popular app used for messaging in Spain. Despite that, Spaniards almost had access to the application temporarily revoked thanks to an investigation. On Friday, March 22, 2024, The Spain High Court temporarily ordered Telegram to be suspended in Spain. The suspension was due to complaints by media companies such as Atresmedia, EGEDA, Mediaset, and Telefonica.

The mentioned media companies alleged that the chat service allowed users to upload their copyrighted content without permission. As a result, the court ruled to ban the service temporarily. Judge Santiago Pedraz, who issued the order for the temporary ban, did so while an investigation was ongoing to confirm the validity of the claims.

The same judge realized that the ban would undoubtedly affect many citizens. Therefore, while the ban was supposed to take effect the following Monday, it did not get past the weekend. Judge Pedraz halted the order on Monday, February 25, 2024. The court statements had the following to say:

Such extreme measures would “clearly be detrimental to millions of people who use it, the vast majority of whom are not linked to any illegal activity.”

Telegram has yet to respond to the ruling of the High Court and Judge Pedraz, but refusal to cooperate with the ongoing investigation might enact another ruling in Spain. In recent years, copyright infringement claims have been taken more seriously. Telegram’s refusal to remove such content is the root cause of the Spain Court’s controversial decision.

Is Telegram safe now?

Spain is not the only country to have banned the messaging platform. Other countries have banned Telegram in the past for varying reasons. For example, Brazil suspended Telegram for the same reason as Spain. The suspension was temporarily lifted and then reenacted as Telegram refused to change its policy regarding copyright infringement.

Telegram didn’t change anything despite Spain’s close suspension of the platform. Therefore, there’s a chance the Spain High Court might do the same thing Brazil did and reenact the platform’s ban. The future looks gloomy as Telegram is steadfast in its policies despite ending up in hot water multiple times thanks to copyright infringement issues.