High Court orders temporary suspension of Telegram's services in Spain
A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed Telegram logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
MADRID, March 23 (Reuters) - Spain's High Court has ordered the suspension of messaging app Telegram's services in the country after media companies complained it was allowing users to upload their content without permission, according to a court source.
The use of Telegram in Spain will be temporarily suspended from Monday after a request by media firms including Atresmedia (A3M.MC), EGEDA, Mediaset (GETVF.PK) and Telefonica (TEF.MC).
Judge Santiago Pedraz agreed to block Telegram's services in Spain while the claims are investigated. It will be the responsibility of mobile phone providers to block Telegram's services, the court source said.
Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A High Court spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Telegram is the fourth most-used messaging service in Spain, according to competition watchdog CNMC. It was used by nearly 19% of Spaniards surveyed by CNMC.
The company says that in 2023 it had more than 700 million monthly active users worldwide.
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Reporting by Charlie Devereux Editing by Mark Potter
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