Former ambassador sues Apple and Alphabet to drop Telegram from app stores
Like Parler, Telegram is facing allegations of being used to encourage racism and violence.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Apple and Google are being asked to remove Telegram.
Former US Ambassador to Morocco Marc Ginsberg has sued Apple , demanding it remove the Telegram app from its App Store. According to the Jan. 17 lawsuit, the messaging app is used to help coordinate violence, extremism, racism and anti-Semitism.
"Telegram is being used to intimidate, threaten and coerce members of the public," says Ginsberg's complaint. The Coalition for a Safer Web is a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Ginsberg's complaint alleges that as a result of Telegram remaining on the App Store, he and others like him have faced economic losses and emotional distress as one of the groups being targeted by the app's users. He has also reportedly sued Alphabet to get Telegram removed from the Google Play Store.
It follows Parler being removed from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store following the insurrection at the US Capitol on Jan. 6.
"Telegram continues to enable extremist incitement in its platform, promoting political violence as extremist groups and individuals migrate to Telegram following Apple's suspension of Parler," the complaint alleges.
Apple, Google and Telegram didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.