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CNN
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Messaging app Telegram is restricting access to several channels closely affiliated with or operated by Hamas as the extremist group’s war with Israel intensifies.
One of the main channels, which has more than 700,000 followers and is known to be run by Hamas’ military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, is accessible to Telegram users through the platform’s iOS and Google Play Store apps. It’s gone, CNN confirmed Thursday.
Another account known to represent Hamas, which has more than 500,000 followers and recently posted videos of Hamas spokespeople and information about Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, is restricted to users of Telegram’s iOS app. but was still accessible. His Google Play Store version of the app as of Thursday afternoon.
The restrictions mark a major crackdown on a major source of pro-Hamas propaganda since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, and the Telegram error message may be caused by the app store operator’s policies. It suggests that there is.
Other popular Telegram channels expressing support for Hamas have also been restricted, according to a CNN analysis. It is unclear whether these channels are directly related to the group.
Users of the Android version of the app who searched for restricted groups received a notification saying, “Unfortunately, this channel cannot be viewed in the Telegram app downloaded from the Google Play Store,” CNN confirmed Thursday. Telegram’s iOS app showed a pop-up in restricted groups that said, “Unfortunately, this channel cannot be viewed on your device.”
The Android restrictions were first reported by CNBC and Russian state news agency TASS.
The restrictions come after Telegram has been accused in recent weeks of allowing Hamas, listed as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States, to continue operating on its platform. Like X, it is prohibited from being used on platforms owned by Meta and Google. (Formerly known as Twitter). Since the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, Hamas’s follower count on Telegram has skyrocketed, with some accounts reaching hundreds of thousands of followers.
Disinformation experts say extremist content that starts on Telegram can quickly spread to other mainstream platforms.
A Telegram account belonging to the Al Qassam Brigades had the following triples confirmed on the app as of last week before it was restricted: This account is one of those that can no longer be accessed through the Telegram app downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store, he confirmed to CNN.
Telegram, a Dubai-based company founded by a Russian-born entrepreneur, has said that terrorist speech in particular is largely illegal, despite growing scrutiny of how social media platforms have broadly responded to war. European officials have allowed Hamas to continue using the app.
Asked whether Google pressured Telegram to act on Hamas channels, a spokesperson for the tech giant said its app store policies require developers to moderate content that includes speech that glorifies terrorism. Google has said only that it will take appropriate action if it finds violations of its policies. .
Google’s published policy states: “We don’t allow apps that contain content related to terrorism, including content that promotes acts of terrorism, incites violence, or glorifies terrorist attacks.” There is. Google’s policy only affects apps downloaded through its own app store. This means that the same limitations do not apply to the versions of Telegram available on third-party Android app stores.
An Apple spokesperson did not immediately respond to CNN’s questions about the Telegram channel, which is currently blocked for iOS users. Telegram also did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Telegram’s very lax content moderation rules have made it popular among international extremist groups and far-right groups in the United States, said Meta, co-founder of trust and security company Cinder. said Brian Fishman, the team’s former manager. We fought against terrorists and other dangerous organizations.
The app began to grow in popularity in the United States after prominent promoters of election conspiracy theories were banned from sites such as Facebook and Twitter after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Because I started it. According to the founder of Telegram, around 800 million people around the world use his Telegram.
–CNN’s Donnie O’Sullivan and Paul Murphy contributed to this report.