Ex-US ambassador sues Google and Apple for hosting Telegram on their app stores

A former US ambassador is suing Apple and Alphabet for hosting the encrypted messaging platform Telegram on their app stores, claiming it is "being used to intimidate, threaten and coerce members of the public."

Marc Ginsberg, once US ambassador to Morocco, filed the suits on behalf of his organization, the Coalition for a Safer Web, which advocates for greater regulation of extremist content online.

The move comes weeks after both firms banned Parler, the alternative messaging service popular with conservatives, for continuing to allow "violence-inciting content" in the wake of the storming of the US Capitol.

Encrypted messaging apps Telegram and Signal each saw a significant uptick in downloads after the Parler bans occurred, peaking at 9 million and 7.5 million a week, respectively.

Unlike Facebook or Twitter, private messages on Telegram face little risk of moderation. The firm was founded in 2013 by Pavel Durov and is based in Dubai.

In Telegram channels reviewed by Insider in the wake of the riots at the US Capitol, users voiced their desire for further violence and real-world action ahead of President Biden's inauguration.

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