A Spanish judge has issued a temporary suspension of the online messaging platform Telegram following a case filed by broadcasters citing intellectual property infringement.

The ruling, issued by Judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audencia Nacional, a high-level court handling significant cases, has drawn criticism from a consumer group.
 
Despite the order being issued on Friday, the platform remained operational in Spain as of midday on Saturday. The consumer rights group Facua condemned the ruling as "excessive", cautioning that it would result in significant harm to the platform's millions of users.

"It is as if they shut down the internet because there are websites that illegally host content protected by copyright," said Facua's General Secretary Ruben Sanchez in a statement.

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Facua identified the media organizations involved in the case as Mediaset, Atresmedia, Movistar, and Egeda.

Telegram, a messaging platform known for its encryption features, also enables users to establish their channels for content dissemination.

The judge's order stemmed from officials in the Virgin Islands, where Telegram is registered, failing to respond to a court request for information made in July 2023. The media companies have raised concerns about their content being utilized on Telegram without authorization. The court sought information to identify the individuals responsible for the accounts in question.
 
In the order issued on Friday, the judge stated that the absence of cooperation from the Virgin Islands had prompted him to implement this "precautionary action".

The order met the principles of "necessity, appropriateness, and proportionality," he stressed.

"No other measure exists that can stop a repeat of the actions denounced," he said.

Telegram, boasting 700 million monthly active users globally, emphasizes the rapidity and security of its platform.

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