MOSCOW – The municipality of Amsterdam has banned government employees from using the Telegram messenger on work phones due to espionage concerns, the BNR radio reported on Monday, citing Alexander Scholtes, a city council member responsible for the city’s IT policy.
Scholtes confirmed to the radio that the ban had been implemented at the end of April, although it had not been publicly disclosed until now.
He cited “criminal activities within the app and the risk of espionage” as the primary reasons for the decision, the report said.
The official also called Telegram “a safe haven for hackers, cybercriminals, and drug traffickers,” BNR reported.
Although Telegram was originally created in Russia, its headquarters is now located in Dubai, with the company officially registered in the Virgin Islands.
Other municipalities in the Netherlands reportedly have not imposed similar bans on Telegram.
In June, Dutch newspaper NL Times reported that the Amsterdam municipality would stop using cameras manufactured in China due to concerns about human rights violations and espionage. Chinese cameras are expected to be phased out within five years.
— BERNAMA-SPUTNIK