Spanish Court Halts Telegram Ban Awaiting Police Investigation Report
On Monday, Spain’s High Court paused its previous directive to temporarily suspend the messaging service Telegram within its jurisdiction, opting to first review a forthcoming report from the national police regarding the potential effects of such a suspension on the app’s users.
This decision to reconsider came from Judge Santiago Pedraz, who had initially approved the suspension on Friday.
This action was in response to accusations from various media corporations alleging that Telegram facilitated the unauthorized sharing of their copyrighted materials.
The suspension was scheduled to activate on Monday but was put on hold by Pedraz, who sought insights into Telegram’s operations and the implications of a temporary ban on its user base, as revealed in a court announcement.
Media companies such as Atresmedia, Mediaset, EGEDA, and Telefonica have initiated legal proceedings against Telegram, accusing it of persistent copyright violations. Telegram has not responded to these allegations.
In his inquiry, Pedraz sought to identify users suspected of distributing protected content without authorization, specifically requesting cooperation from the Virgin Islands, where Telegram is officially registered.
However, the court reported a lack of compliance from the authorities in the Virgin Islands with this request.
The suspension’s pause was met with approval from the Spanish consumer association FACUA, which expressed hope that the police investigation would prompt a permanent retraction of the suspension order, considering the significant impact it would have highlighted by public response.
Telegram, as reported by the competition watchdog CNMC, ranks as the fourth most popular messaging platform in Spain, with nearly 19% of Spaniards surveyed by CNMC utilizing the service.
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