Telegram CEO Pavel Durov says it’s unclear if the ban on the messaging app is permanent or temporary.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov tweeted Sunday that Iranian authorities were blocking access to the popular messaging app “for the majority of Iranians after our public refusal to shut down … peacefully protesting channels.”
Iranian authorities are blocking access to Telegram for the majority of Iranians after our public refusal to shut down https://t.me/sedaiemardom and other peacefully protesting channels.
Protests began Thursday in Iran over economic woes plaguing the country, reported CBS News, and people were using Telegram and Instagram to share information and images of the demonstrations. So far, two people have reportedly been killed in the ongoing protests.
Telegram said it did suspend an account on Saturday that was calling for violence against police in Iran during the protests. In a post on Sunday, Durov wrote that the channel has been allowed to reassembled after its admins pledged not to promote violence.
“Yesterday we had to suspend @amadnews, a public channel that started calling its subscribers to use Molotov cocktails and firearms against police,” wrote Durov in a post Sunday. “The admins of the channel reached out to us after the fact, apologizing for breaking our rules and pledging not to promote violence in the future.”
Durov said was unclear whether the block on Telegram in Iran was permanent or temporary. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
Instagram has also reportedly been block in the country. The Facebook-owned photo sharing app didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
C-Net