Telegram's t.me Suspended Globally — Montenegro Registry Hits ServerHold, Durov Publicly Asks Why
TL;DR
Telegram's t.me shortlink domain suspended globally via serverHold by Montenegro .me registry; Durov asks for explanation on X.
Around July 14 midnight, Telegram's shortlink domain t.me stopped resolving worldwide. WHOIS records show the domain state was set to "serverHold" — a registry-level freeze that removes the domain entirely from the global DNS system.
ServerHold is ICANN's highest-tier domain freeze status, applied not by domain registrars but only by the registry itself. Once active, any name resolution request fails, regardless of how the service's own infrastructure is configured. The party executing this: Montenegro's .me registry doMEn, technically operated by US company Identity Digital.
Impact scope: all `t.me/username` and `t.me/channelname` shortlinks fail to redirect in browsers, channel, group, and profile invite links all dead. The Telegram app itself, its in-app browser, telegram.org, and telegram.me all still work — only the shortlink distribution channel is severed.
Pavel Durov publicly asked for explanation on X: "@domainME, t.me links stopped working. Can you look into it?" So far Telegram, the .me registry, and Identity Digital have all declined to comment. The t.me domain is registered through May 2035 — domain expiration is not the cause.
Shortlink distribution is Telegram's most critical growth channel — channel invitations, bot authorization, and TON crypto ecosystem wallet on-ramps all depend on t.me. Cutting it means Telegram's new-user on-ramp has collapsed overnight.
via Domain Name Wire / Cybersecurity News
ServerHold is ICANN's highest-tier domain freeze status, applied not by domain registrars but only by the registry itself. Once active, any name resolution request fails, regardless of how the service's own infrastructure is configured. The party executing this: Montenegro's .me registry doMEn, technically operated by US company Identity Digital.
Impact scope: all `t.me/username` and `t.me/channelname` shortlinks fail to redirect in browsers, channel, group, and profile invite links all dead. The Telegram app itself, its in-app browser, telegram.org, and telegram.me all still work — only the shortlink distribution channel is severed.
Pavel Durov publicly asked for explanation on X: "@domainME, t.me links stopped working. Can you look into it?" So far Telegram, the .me registry, and Identity Digital have all declined to comment. The t.me domain is registered through May 2035 — domain expiration is not the cause.
Shortlink distribution is Telegram's most critical growth channel — channel invitations, bot authorization, and TON crypto ecosystem wallet on-ramps all depend on t.me. Cutting it means Telegram's new-user on-ramp has collapsed overnight.
via Domain Name Wire / Cybersecurity News
