MOSCOW: Indonesia is considering blocking the Telegram messaging app and the Bigo Live streaming platform for allegedly being used to promote pornography and gambling, said Indonesian Communications and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, reported Sputnik.
“I would prefer to shut down Bigo Live and Telegram immediately, but a team needs to conduct further studies first … We act based on evidence collected by our team. If we find evidence of pornography or gambling promotion, we will proceed with blocking the platforms,“ the minister was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe newspaper.
Despite the ministry issuing strong warnings to both platforms, their responses have been insufficient, he said.
On Saturday, Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of Telegram, was detained at a Paris airport on charges related to the criminal use of his messaging app, including terrorism, child pornography, drug trafficking, money laundering and fraud. The 39-year-old billionaire holds citizenship in several countries, including France.
After spending over eight hours in court, he was released on Wednesday under judicial supervision, banned from leaving France and ordered to pay a 5 million euro (US$5.5 million) bail.
– Bernama, Sputnik
