The municipality of Amsterdam has banned its civil servants from using the messaging app Telegram on their work phones due to concerns over criminal activity and potential espionage, local media reported on Monday.
The ban, which was implemented at the end of April but only recently made public, is attributed to fears that Telegram could be a “safe haven for hackers, cybercriminals, and drug dealers,” according to a spokesperson for the municipality, as reported by NL Times and broadcaster BNR.
Read more…
Source: Anadolu Agency
Related:
- Europe-wide takedown hits longest-standing dark web drug market
June 16, 2025
Law enforcement authorities across Europe have dismantled ‘Archetyp Market’, the most enduring dark web marketplace, following a large-scale operation involving six countries, supported by Europol and Eurojust. Between 11 and 13 June, a series of coordinated actions took place across Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, targeting the platform’s administrator, moderators, key vendors, and technical infrastructure. ...
- Dutch authorities claim Russia-backed group hacked into networks of police and NATO
May 27, 2025
A previously unknown Russian hacking group was behind attacks last year on the networks of the Dutch police, NATO and several European countries, Dutch intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The group, nicknamed Laundry Bear by the security agencies, was most likely supported by the Russian state, the Dutch General Intelligence Agency and Military Agency said in ...
- Trump’s sanctions on ICC prosecutor have halted tribunal’s work
May 15, 2025
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has lost access to his email, and his bank accounts have been frozen. The Hague-based court’s American staffers have been told that if they travel to the U.S. they risk arrest. Some non-governmental organizations have stopped working with the ICC and the leaders of one won’t even reply to emails ...
- Encrypted messaging service intercepted, 2.3 million messages read by law enforcement
December 9, 2024
European law enforcement agencies have taken down yet another encrypted messaging service mainly used by criminals. The Matrix encrypted messaging service was an invite-only service which was also marketed under the names Mactrix, Totalsec, X-quantum, or Q-safe. Dutch and French authorities started an investigation when the service was found on the phone of a criminal convicted ...
- International operation against ‘phone phishing’ gang in Belgium and the Netherlands
December 6, 2024
Europol has supported Belgian and Dutch authorities in an international operation against a ‘phone phishing’ gang that has led to the arrest of 8 suspects. On the action day, law enforcement also carried out 17 searches in different locations in Belgium and the Netherlands. Although most of the criminal activities took place in Belgium, the main ...
- Europol: Fraudulent shopping sites tied to cybercrime marketplace taken offline
December 5, 2024
Europol has supported the dismantling of a sophisticated criminal network responsible for facilitating large-scale online fraud. In an operation led by the Hanover Police Department (Polizeidirektion Hannover) and the Verden Public Prosecutor’s Office (Staatsanwaltschaft Verden) in Germany, and supported by law enforcement authorities across Europe, over 50 servers were seized, significant digital evidence was secured, ...