Telegram could face fines as high as 55 million euros for not submitting to German laws, Der Spiegel reported over the weekend. The Justice Ministry has opened proceedings against the messaging app for failing to designate a contact person for the authorities and for not offering a procedure for taking down illegal content as required under German law, the report stated. Germany’s Network Enforcement Act, which was enacted in 2017 and requires platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to delete any illegal or harmful content that is reported to them, did not apply to Telegram until now. But the German Justice Ministry is changing its stance and bringing Telegram under this law. The Federal Office of Justice has sent two letters from Bonn to Dubai in this regard, the report stated. Telegram's FAQ page states that it processes "legitimate requests to take down illegal public content (e.g., sticker sets, bots, and channels)," but it won't process any requests related to chats, which it says are private among participants. "The service touts itself as a platform that is beyond the reach of states and authorities, a place where anyone can write and make whatever claim they want," the report stated. Compliance with India's IT Rules 2021 India's new IT Rules 2021 require somewhat similar compliance from Telegram. In addition to taking down content when mandated by a court order or relevant government authority, Telegram has to comply with the requirements for significant social media intermediaries because the app currently has over 115 million active…
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