India, Russia, China: Why so many countries have banned or suspended Telegram

THe telephone exchange authorities this hebdomad slapped temporary restrictions on wire forward of the NEET-UG medical entrance re-examination set for Sunday. The app, before the restrictions, was widely used by students to share study materials, businesses to run communities, and creators to build audiences.The ban has led to a fiery response from Telegram’s billionaire founder Pavel Durov, and an ongoing messy court battle in the Delhi high court.Telegram occupies a unique space in the digital world. Unlike WhatsApp, which is largely built around private conversations, Telegram combines messaging with large public channels and massive groups that can host lakhs of users. This allows information to spread at extraordinary speed.That same feature is why the app has become popular among political activists, journalists and dissidents in countries with strict controls on speech.ALSO READ | Govt explains why only Telegram is a problem: Multiple bots, 'most preferred' for terror acts, editing featureIndia is not the first country to take action against the app. From Russia and Iran to Brazil and China, governments across the world have restricted, suspended or investigated Telegram.India's temporary ban on TelegramThe latest issue stems from the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case. Acting on recommendations from the National Testing Agency (NTA), the Centre ordered a temporary block on Telegram until June 22, covering the June 21 NEET re-examination and its immediate aftermath.While the authorities have called the Telegram action as restrictions, user experience suggest it is almost a ban as messages stopped getting delivered from Wednesday evening.Authorities said Telegram channels were being used to sell fake leaked exam papers and answer keys. Investigators also flagged the platform's message-editing feature, alleging that scammers were posting generic messages before exams and later editing them to insert actual questions, creating the impression they had prior access to the paper.Alongside the temporary ban, Telegram has been directed to disable message editing for already posted messages in India until June 30.Telegram has challenged the order in the Delhi high court. They said that blocking the entire platform punishes more than 150 million Indian users while doing little to stop bad actors. IranIran once ranked among Telegram's largest markets, with millions of users relying on the service. After anti-government protests in 2018, authorities permanently blocked the app. They accused it of helping demonstrators organise and spread opposition messages, according to details mentioned in an NYT report.Telegram reportedly refused demands to shut down peaceful protest channels or hand over user information.ALSO READ | Telegram opposes temporary ban in India: ‘You should also shut down malls, close roads’ChinaChina has blocked Telegram since 2015 as part of its vast internet censorship system known as the Great Firewall, as per Business Standard.Chinese authorities have long viewed Telegram with suspicion because of its popularity among activists, lawyers and political organisers. The app became even more controversial during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, when demonstrators used it extensively to coordinate rallies and share updates.For Beijing, Telegram's ability to facilitate large-scale organisation outside state-controlled platforms made it a difficult fit within China's tightly regulated digital ecosystem.RussiaTelegram was founded by Russian-born entrepreneur Pavel Durov, yet Moscow has repeatedly tried to block it. In 2018, Russian authorities banned Telegram after it refused to provide access to encrypted communications requested by security agencies, as per the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR).The ban proved difficult to enforce and was eventually lifted in 2020. But relations deteriorated again following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with authorities accusing Telegram of failing to combat fraud, extremist content and criminal activity.Telegram, though, accused the Russian government of attempting to force users onto state-controlled alternatives. BrazilBrazil has never imposed a permanent ban on Telegram, but it has repeatedly suspended the platform. The country's courts have reportedly accused Telegram of failing to comply with orders related to misinformation, extremist content and criminal investigations.During election periods, concerns about disinformation have often put the platform under intense scrutiny. Several suspensions were later lifted after Telegram complied with judicial directives and removed targeted content.Europe's actionEven in countries where Telegram remains accessible, regulators have become increasingly wary of the platform.Pavel Durov was arrested in 2024 in France and later faced a series of preliminary criminal charges linked to Telegram's alleged failure to curb illegal activity on the platform, as per the BBC.French authorities said that Telegram had not done enough to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking networks and organised crime-related activity.UkraineWhile Telegram remains widely used across the country, Ukrainian authorities have restricted its use on government and military devices, citing concerns that Russia could exploit the platform for surveillance, intelligence gathering or disinformation operations, the BBC reported.Officials have also proposed a bit of transparency around anonymous channels that command huge audiences.Other countries that have actedTelegram has also faced restrictions in countries including Pakistan, Cuba, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and Belarus.Some governments cite national security concerns, others point to misinformation, political mobilisation, extremist content or copyright disputes. In Norway, officials have been discouraged from using Telegram on government-issued devices because of security concerns, as per The NYT.