Danish minister calls for ban on Telegram over harassment

On Tuesday, a Danish minister called for a ban on the messaging app Telegram in the country, citing the frequent sharing of harassment content targeting Middle Eastern women.

In an interview with a newspaper, Equality Minister Trine Bramsen Peter Rahbek Juel, representing the Social Democrats in the coalition government, said that abuse in the form of “shaming” is frequently directed at women with Middle Eastern backgrounds on the app, and therefore it should be blocked in the country.

“We have unfortunately seen some terrible examples and a lot of examples of the social media Telegram, in particular, being used to humiliate young ethnics – particularly young women – and to shame them, well aware that it could have the consequence that their families exclude them or even do worse,” Bramsen said.

Ban Telegram in Denmark

Telegram, founded by Russian businessmen Nikolai and Pavel Durov, has been operating as an alternative to WhatsApp since 2013.

The equality minister acknowledged that a Telegram ban would “to a greater degree” be an EU matter but she wants to ban the app in Denmark as soon as possible.

“I don’t think we can look the other way as platforms are used for crime again and again and put young people’s lives in danger,” she said, adding: “Against other types of … illegal content, it’s possible to put up some filters. It will be a case for the courts in the end. But we must, through legislation, ensure that the right laws are in place.”