Russia lifts ineffective ban on Telegram messaging app

MOSCOW: Russia’s communications watchdog said Thursday it would lift a ban on the popular messaging app Telegram after two years of unsuccessful attempts to block it.

“As agreed with the Prosecutor General’s office, Roskomnadzor withdraws the demand to restrict access to the Telegram messenger,” the agency said in a statement.

In 2018, a court ordered the blocking of Telegram in Russia, siding with authorities who demanded that the app be kept out of the country until it hands over the keys to its data encryption. Officials alleged that Telegram, which was developed by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, has been used by violent extremists.