Telegram Messaging App acts to block Islamic State sites

Telegram, a cloud-based instant messaging service which is created two years ago by the exiled founder of Russia's most popular social network site, that's been accepted as a recruitment service by Islamic State. Now Telegram said it was taking action to block those channels being used by the group.

Two months ago, a new public broadcast service of Telegram turned into the favoured system for Islamic State to broadcast news and share videos of military victories. The group used this social service to claim responsibility for the recent Paris attacks and the bombing of a Russian airliner over Egypt last month. After this statement published on yesterday, Telegram said it has possessed to identify and block all 78 ISIS-related broadcast channels with 12 languages on its site.

"We were disturbed to learn that Telegram's public channels were being used by ISIS to spread their propaganda", says telegram.

The organization's announcement showed up an hour after Reuters published a piece detailing Islamic State's use of Telegram. Alex Kassirer, a counter-terrorism analyst, said that IS had begun using Telegram broadcast stations to send official statements went for enlisting and rousing supporters, according to Reuters.

Rita Katz, director of SITE Intelligence Group, Bethesda, Maryland said many channels set up had more than 10,000 followers. On Wednesday evening, some of those channels couldn't be gotten to, and a message was shown saying they were no more accessible. Telegram rose in popularity after growing public awareness of encryption after the Edward Snowden revelations, and then after Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp.

Twitter has already shut down thousands of accounts, which was tied with Islamic State for violating policies, until Wednesday Telegram had seemed to let the jihadists work without apprehension of being turned off or or followed, Katz said, according to The New York Times.

Telegram, which did not react when asked for comments, unequivocally says on its site that it attempts endeavors to square Islamic State, which is otherwise called ISIS. The organization's explanation focused on that closing down ISIS channels on the site was not taken to limit free discourse, which it supports.

"We are also introducing an easier way for our users to report objectionable public content in the upcoming update of Telegram this week," according to Telegraph.

"The problem with blocking Telegram groups, like suspending Twitter or Facebook accounts, is that it becomes a game for IS supporters to see how fast they can get up another account," said researcher Sidney Jones.