Iraq to Allow Telegram App After Meeting Security Requirements: Report
Iraq’s Ministry of Telecommunications announced on Sunday that it would lift a ban on the Telegram messaging app, which was imposed earlier this week over security concerns and data leaks from official government institutions and citizens.
The application is widely used in Iraq for sending messages, but also as a source of news and content sharing.
Some channels contain large amounts of personal information, including names, addresses and family ties of Iraqis.
The ministry said in a statement that the decision to lift the ban came after “the company that owns the platform responded to the demands of the security authorities, who demanded that the company reveal the entities that leaked citizens’ data.”
The company also “expressed its full readiness to communicate with the relevant authorities…”, the statement said.
In response to Reuters’ request for comment, a member of Telegram’s press team said that “publishing private information without consent is prohibited in Telegram’s terms of service, and our moderators routinely remove such content.”
“We can confirm that our moderators shut down several channels sharing personal information. However, we can also confirm that private user data has not been requested from Telegram and has not been shared.”
The ministry announced last week that the company did not respond to a request to shut down platforms that leak data from official government institutions and personal data of citizens.
