Spain Suspends Telegram Ban: Why A VPN Can Help

The Spanish High Court has temporarily suspended the enforcement of a ban on Telegram, a popular messaging application, in Spain.

Previously, Spain’s government sought to censor the service because of concerns about copyright infringement. But, this sparked outrage from privacy advocates and free speech organizations.

Yesterday, however, the same judge that issued the suspension order, uplifted it before its enforcement, pending an investigation of its impact on the users.

Why Spain wants to ban Telegram

Spanish authorities sought to ban Telegram in response to accusations that the platform was being used to distribute copyrighted content without permission. 

Through their court submissions, media companies argued that Telegram’s encryption and focus on user anonymity made it a haven for piracy. 

This compelled Judge Santiago Pedraz to issue an order demanding that Telegram provide the identities of hardcore users suspected of engaging in piracy.  

However, the platform refused to comply, citing privacy concerns. This saw the Spanish government move to block access to the app altogether.

Following intense backlash and the acknowledgment that virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy services could easily circumvent the ban, Judge Pedraz chose to reverse his ruling, albeit temporarily.

The proposed blocking order has garnered significant criticism from experts within and beyond the country. If reinforced, such a measure would strip the 8.5 million Telegram users of their digital rights, as mentioned by Techradar.

Read more:

Can you bypass an IP ban with VPN?

How a VPN can help

In the wake of Telegram’s ban, the importance of VPNs has come to the forefront. The services offer a way to bypass such restrictions by encrypting and rerouting user traffic through servers in different countries.

This can be useful if you are trying to access a website or service blocked in your country. In the case of Telegram, a VPN can help Spanish users access the platform hassle-free.

Some of the popular providers include the likes of ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Private Internet Access (PIA). These are well-known for providing sophisticated technologies for safeguarding user privacy and security on the internet.