Telegram

Telegram has been blocked in mainland China since July 2015. The block came in the middle of a nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers, whom state media accused of using the app to organise.

Key facts

• Status: blocked in mainland China, works in Hong Kong
• Since: July 2015
• Trigger: state media accused the app of helping rights lawyers organise
• Access today: only through a VPN

Why did China block Telegram?

On 12 July 2015, the state-run People’s Daily accused Telegram of helping human rights lawyers and activists, saying they used the app and its self-destructing “Secret Chat” mode to attack the Communist Party and the government. The crackdown on lawyers had begun on 9 July, and more than 200 lawyers and staff were detained in the following weeks.

Around the same time, Telegram suffered a large denial-of-service attack. Founder Pavel Durov said the attack was coordinated from Southeast Asia. By 13 July, Hong Kong Free Press reported that the service was blocked in China, and censorship testers showed the web version unreachable from Beijing, Shenzhen and several provinces.

Is Telegram still banned in China?

Yes. More than a decade later, Telegram only works in mainland China through a VPN, and using an unapproved VPN is itself illegal there. Telegram has said that private chats are not something it processes government requests about, which makes it hard for any deal like those struck elsewhere.

Which other messaging apps does China block?

Telegram’s block was an early step in China’s move against encrypted messengers. WhatsApp was cut off in 2017, and Signal followed in 2021. Chinese users rely on domestic apps such as WeChat instead.

China is not alone in targeting Telegram. Iran blocked it by court order in 2018, and Russia has restricted it twice. For a country-by-country view of social platforms under government blocks, see our guide to where social media is banned.