Telegram is available again in India after temporary block

Telegram has returned to Google Play in India following a temporary block, according to The Times of India.

The messaging app was unavailable in the country between June 16 and June 22. Indian authorities restricted access to Telegram following the leak of questions from the NEET-UG medical entrance exam. The test had to be postponed until June 21, triggering widespread student protests.

• After the restrictions expired, Google restored Telegram to Google Play in India. According to The Times of India, iPhone users may still have to wait for the app to return to the App Store.
• The temporary block was introduced following recommendations from India's National Testing Agency. Officials argued that Telegram's features made it difficult to quickly curb exam-related violations.
• Pavel Durov claimed that the block affected 150 million ordinary users, "not the insiders who leaked the exam materials." A few days later, Telegram disabled message editing for users with Indian phone numbers.

The change was made in response to an order from India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Authorities believe the feature was widely used for fraud, allowing users to retroactively alter messages and create supposed "evidence" of leaked exam papers.

Telegram appealed to the Delhi High Court, seeking to overturn the government's decision to temporarily block the platform. The court, however, ruled that the restriction was lawful.

The temporary block also led to a sharp rise in demand for VPN services and alternative messaging apps:

Telegram ban in India triggers surge in VPN downloads and Signal users

India’s temporary block of Telegram has triggered a sharp increase in demand for VPN services and alternative messaging apps.

Durov˙s CodeDaria Ivanova

In addition, the Telegram block in India resulted in a global traffic hijacking incident. Why was Telegram unavailable not only in India but also in other countries? How can an internet provider redirect traffic anywhere on the internet? Full breakdown:

India blocks Telegram, and Durov accuses Reliance of hijacking traffic: what really happened

India’s Telegram block escalated into a global internet routing incident, exposing how a decades-old weakness in the internet’s infrastructure can affect users far beyond a single country’s borders.

Durov˙s CodeGaik Dallakian