Corona demonstrations, false information and death threats against politicians mainly come from Telegram. The federal government now wants to take action.
Munich – If you are looking for an alternative to the world’s most popular messenger service WhatsApp, you immediately think of Telegram. The instant messaging service from Russia can be used in many ways. Not only can you chat with other people, you can also create “channels” that other users can subscribe to – like on Twitter. You also have a lot of freedom with the shared content, because posts that would have long since caused the account to be blocked on Twitter usually get through on Telegram without consequences.
These properties of the messenger service attract opponents of vaccination and demonstrators against corona measures. Especially in the last few months, Telegram has stood out as a veritable meeting place for these people. There they organize their so-called “walks” and demos, which sometimes lead to violent clashes with the police. But not only that: there are also death threats against politicians, the spread of false information and the sale of fake vaccination certificates or test certificates. Apparently, the federal government no longer wants to stand idly by and contacted the telegram operators for this purpose.
Corona demos organized via Telegram – Ministry of the Interior establishes contact with the messenger service
According to its own statements, the Federal Ministry of the Interior was able to establish direct contact with the management of the controversial messenger service after sustained pressure. A ministry spokesman told the newspapers of the editorial network in Germanythat on Wednesday (January 2nd) “A constructive discussion with representatives from the top management of Telegram via video conference” took place.
The conversation was conducted by State Secretary Markus Richter from the Federal Ministry of the Interior with other representatives of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Ministry of Justice. The top of Telegram declared their greatest possible willingness to cooperate with the German authorities. Telegram has named a high-ranking contact person for future direct exchanges.
The contact came about via an email address provided by the Google search engine. The ministry spokesman said that RND: “The Federal Ministry of the Interior considers this contact to be a great success and will promote and intensify further exchange with Telegram.”
Corona demos: Buschmann threatens Telegram with a “fine in the millions” – “Won’t let go”
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) threatened the platform operators in the Rheinische Post and the General indicator meanwhile, with the enforcement of property and criminal prosecution also outside the EU. “The legal position is clear,” he told the newspapers. For example, they will check “whether and where Telegram has assets that we can enforce in the event of a legally binding fine”.
Telegram is more than a messenger service. It offers the public functions of a social network and must comply with the applicable German law. “This includes, among other things, naming a contact person for German authorities if criminal offenses are called for on Telegram, for example by publishing so-called enemy lists,” explained Buschmann. Telegram does not meet this obligation.
Buschmann emphasized that there are currently two fine proceedings against Telegram. However, it was not possible to successfully send the due notices for a hearing to the company based in the United Arab Emirates. “Next we will therefore take the route of public service by publishing a notification in the Federal Gazette. So we won’t let go,” assured the FDP politician.
However, the challenge lies in enforcing German or European law when a company like Telegram is based in Dubai and thus outside the EU. “So we don’t lack any criminal law norms or laws, but it takes a certain amount of perseverance to get to the company,” Buschmann told the newspapers and confirmed: “We have them.” At the end of the proceedings, there could be a “fine in the millions”. , the minister also informed on the sidelines of a meeting of EU justice ministers. (bb with material from afp)
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