Telegram's t.me Domain Blocked Due to VPN Service Sanctions

Telegram's t.me short-link domain was temporarily blocked after the .me registry placed it under serverHold, affecting access to links for profiles, channels, and bots. This action is linked to US Treasury sanctions against a VPN service associated with cybercrime. The VPN service, operational since 2014, was used by at least 25 major hacker groups for ransomware attacks. Following the deletion of the VPN's Telegram channel, the .me registry restored the t.me domain. Telegram's founder sought clarification from the registry, but no official explanation was provided. The outage disrupted a key gateway for sharing Telegram content, although the messaging service itself remained operational for signed-in users. This incident highlights the implications of international sanctions on digital platforms.

Key Points: • Telegram's t.me domain was blocked due to US sanctions against a VPN service. • The VPN service was linked to at least 25 major hacker groups involved in cybercrime. • Access to Telegram links was disrupted, but the messaging service remained functional for users.