Why Telegram remains most restricted social media platform globally

 

Telegram remains one of the most targeted social media platforms by autocratic governments, a study has shown.

The study by Netherlands-based cybersecurity company Surfshark indicates that Telegram was the most restricted platform in 2025, with the restrictions linked to various forms of political turmoil.

Surfshark, which specialises in internet shutdown tracker, records partial and complete internet and social media shutdowns in 196 countries and territories annually from 2015.

The company offers products including an audited VPN, certified antivirus, data leak warning system, private search engine, and a tool for generating an online identity.

According to the latest report, in 2025, social media was the focus of one-fourth of all internet restrictions. 21 new instances of social media restrictions by 14 countries were observed, a higher number than the 18 cases in 7 countries in 2024.

Telegram alone faced restrictions from seven governments on nine occasions.

By comparison, in 2024, Facebook was the most frequently blocked platform, with five governments imposing nine restrictions.

In 2025, Facebook came in second with seven cases, followed by YouTube and Instagram with six cases each, and X (formerly Twitter) and WhatsApp with five cases each.

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Cumulatively, Surfshark recorded 81 deliberate and politically motivated new cases of internet disruptions globally in 2025

The year started with 47 ongoing internet disruptions, while 81 new restrictions were imposed during the year.

Luis Costa, Research Lead at Surfshark, said these shutdowns affected 4.6 billion people, with Asian countries leading the world in internet censorship cases.

The governments of 10 Asian countries imposed 56 new restrictions.

“Internet shutdowns, including long-term, systemic censorship, affected 4.6 billion people in 2025, more than half of the world’s population,” said Costa, adding, “Despite growing global recognition of internet access as a fundamental human right, the scale and reach of digital restrictions continue to expand year after year.”

He said in 2025 alone, two new countries, Albania and Panama, implemented internet restrictions for the first time, highlighting how government-mandated shutdowns are no longer confined to a small group of repeat offenders, but are becoming an increasingly used tool of control worldwide.

Countries that faced disruption 

As in the past few years, Asia was once again in the lead with governments of 10 Asian countries imposing 56 new restrictions, affecting 2 billion people.

Africa followed second, with 20 new cases introduced by 8 countries, collectively impacting a total of 344 million people. 

India again secured the top spot as the country with the most internet restrictions in Asia. In 2025, it imposed 24 new restrictions, marking a slight increase from 23 imposed in 2024.

Other Asian countries and territories grappling with internet restrictions included Iraq (9 cases), Afghanistan (7 cases), Jammu and Kashmir (5 cases), Iran (4 cases), Turkey and Nepal (2 cases each), as well as Pakistan, Vietnam, and Yemen (1 case each).

In September 2025, Afghanistan began imposing multiple temporary regional internet shutdowns and subsequently banned Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, which remain in effect to this day.

Notably, after a one-year ban on X (formerly Twitter), Pakistan restored its access, but the country still had one incident in 2025 when it shut down the internet in the Azad Kashmir region.

With 5 new cases, Cameroon played a significant role in Africa’s ranking in 2025.

According to the survey, the country once again imposed multiple restrictions on social and messaging platforms, as well as several internet shutdowns leading up to and during the elections.

Cameroon already had a history of imposing internet censorship during elections, as it restricted access to Facebook and WhatsApp on the eve of the 2018 election results.

Tanzania followed with 4 cases, and 3 of them, similarly to Cameroon, were related to elections. X (formerly Twitter) was also banned in Tanzania, and the ban is still in effect to this day.

New restrictions were also registered in Kenya (3 cases), Guinea, Sudan, and DR Congo (2 cases each), and Nigeria and Togo (1 case each).

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In Europe, the report indicates that only Albania imposed new internet restrictions, banning TikTok for one year. The ban began in March 2025.

The decision was made after a conflict on the social media platform resulted in the death of a teenager.

Turkey continues to impose temporary bans on social media platforms to deal with protests and other incidents.

In 2025, it restricted social media twice; in 2024, five times. The first social media restrictions began in 2016, and since then, such measures have become a common occurrence, especially in recent years.