Predrag Lešić, chief executive of DomainME, confirmed the domain was back online after being placed on hold due to OFAC regulations. These rules, enforced by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, mandate that entities restrict access to resources associated with sanctioned individuals or groups to avoid significant financial penalties. The disruption coincided with the Treasury’s move to sanction First VPN, a provider linked to ransomware operations.
Telegram domain outage linked to US sanctions compliance
The t.me shortlink domain, essential for sharing Telegram group invites, returned to service on Tuesday following a mysterious day-long suspension. The brief blackout stemmed from a serverhold block imposed by the Montenegro-based registrar DomainME, which cited compliance requirements regarding U.S. Treasury sanctions.
Technologist Jonah Aragon identified that the government’s sanctions listing for First VPN explicitly referenced a public Telegram group. It appears the registrar opted to shutter the entire t.me domain to ensure full adherence to U.S. law, rather than targeting the specific link mentioned in the federal filing. While the primary shortlink was down, the telegram.me domain remained fully operational throughout the incident. Pavel Durov, Telegram’s founder, acknowledged the disruption on X, though the company has yet to issue a formal explanation regarding the scope of the restriction.
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