The City of Amsterdam Bans Government Employees from Using the Telegram Application, Here's the Reason

Illustration of the Telegram application. (Photo: Archives)

AMSTERDAM, iNews.id – The Amsterdam City Government has banned government employees from using the Telegram messaging application on their office devices. The ban follows concerns by authorities in the Dutch capital of potential espionage.

The news was revealed via a BNR radio report on Monday (19/8/2024), citing one of the local city council members, Alexander Scholtes. He told radio that the ban had been implemented at the end of April, although it had never been disclosed to the public until now.

"Criminal activity in the application and the risk of espionage were the main reasons for the decision (to ban Telegram)," said Scholtes.

The official also called Telegram a safe haven for hackers, cybercriminals and drug dealers.

Although Telegram was originally created in Russia, its headquarters are now located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The technology company itself is officially registered in the Virgin Islands.

According to BNR, other Dutch city governments have reportedly not imposed similar bans on Telegram.

Last June, Dutch newspaper NL Times reported that the Amsterdam City Government would stop using cameras produced in China due to concerns about human rights violations and espionage. Chinese cameras are expected to disappear in the land of windmills within five years.

Kota Amsterdam Larang Pegawai Pemerintah Pakai Aplikasi Telegram, Ini Alasannya

AMSTERDAM, HOLIDAY NEWS – Pemerintah Kota Amsterdam melarang pegawai pemerintah menggunakan aplikasi perpesanan Telegram di perangkat kantor mereka. Larangan tersebut menyusul kekhawatiran otoritas di ibu kota Belanda itu akan potensi spionase.

Kabar itu terungkap lewat laporan radio BNR pada Senin (19/8/2024), mengutip salah satu anggota dewan kota setempat, Alexander Scholtes. Kepada radio itu, dia mengatakan larangan tersebut telah diterapkan pada akhir April lalu, meski belum pernah diungkapkan kepada publik hingga saat ini.

“Aktivitas kriminal dalam aplikasi dan risiko spionase menjadi alasan utama keputusan (larangan Telegram) tersebut,” kata Scholtes.

Pejabat tersebut juga menyebut Telegram sebagai tempat berlindung yang aman bagi para peretas, penjahat dunia maya, dan pengedar narkoba.

Meskipun Telegram awalnya dibuat di Rusia, kantor pusatnya kini berlokasi di Dubai, Uni Emirat Arab (UEA). Perusahaan teknologi itu sendiri terdaftar secara resmi di Kepulauan Virgin.

Menurut BNR, pemerintah kota-kota lainnya di Belanda dilaporkan belum memberlakukan larangan serupa terhadap Telegram.

Pada Juni lalu, surat kabar Belanda, NL Times melaporkan, Pemerintah Kota Amsterdam akan berhenti menggunakan kamera yang diproduksi di China karena kekhawatiran tentang pelanggaran hak asasi manusia dan spionase. Kamera China diperkirakan akan lenyap di negeri kincir anging itu dalam waktu lima tahun.