Last week, several pro-Palestinian Telegram channels were blocked in European countries, including the “Palestine Archive ??” channel with more than 15,000 followers and the “Resistance News Network” (RNN) with more than 166,000 subscribers. The exact justification of the ban are not known. While Telegram did not respond to a journalistic request, the RNN said that there was no reason for the closure. Anyone who tries to open up the channel in the affected countries now will receive the notification that they cannot be not displayed because they “violate local laws”. RNN and the online outlet The Cradle have spoken of an EU-wide ban.
While the legal basis for the blocking remains unclear, the political reasons are obvious. RNN itself explained to Peoples Dispatch: “We believe RNN was banned because we shed light on the reality of resistance on the ground, which upends the mainstream zionist narrative.“
This isn’t a privacy issue.
Censorship and privacy are closely linked but you are right they are different subjects. Telegram blocking access to certain channels based on region overlaps into privacy territory for me but people are free to down vote the post if they disagree.
Most people in the security industries that I’ve ever known are keenly interested in privacy, for good reason. There is a reason certain protesting elements cyber their faces and it’s not usually for nefarious reasons.