The Federal Office of Justice, which is part of the Justice Ministry, has opened proceedings to fine Telegram for failing to designate a contact person for the authorities and for not offering a criminal complaint procedure for criminal content as required under German law, Der Spiegel reports.
The company could face fines as high as 55 million euros. The Federal Office of Justice sent two letters from Bonn to Dubai ordering hearings on the matter. On May 20, they were transmitted as what is called a diplomatic note verbale by the German Embassy to the Foreign Ministry of the emirate.
The author of the article notes that the Telegram channel is "probably the most dangerous" messenger in the world, as it is popular among criminals, terrorists and is not actually regulated by the authorities.
In Germany, in particular, it attracts Covid exiles, right-wing extremists, drug traffickers and fraudsters.
It is stated that the crime is openly planned and carried out on the Telegram channel. In this regard, the German Ministry of Justice demands that the platform be made available to the authorities.
The Ministry of Justice sent two letters to the author of the Telegram Pavel Durov to hold a hearing on the issue. If the offer is rejected, the application may be blocked in Germany.
