Iraq Blocks Telegram Access In The Country Citing 'Privacy Concerns'
Iraqis now need a VPN to continue using the Telegram app.
- "Iraq's telecoms ministry said it has blocked the Telegram messaging app over national security concerns and in order to preserve the integrity of users' personal data, which it said the app had mishandled," Reuters reported.
- "The app is widely used in Iraq for messaging but also as a source of news and for sharing content."
The ministry said in a statement it had asked the app to close down "platforms that leak the data of the official state institutions and the personal data of citizens... but the company did not respond and did not interact with any of these requests."
- "Iraq is also infamous for shutting down the internet during national exams (the latest of such instances occurred exactly while were writing this article, on August 8, 2023) or, worse, in time of political crisis," Techradar reported.
