Millions of links to channels, chat rooms, bots and Telegram profiles suddenly turned into non-working addresses. A short domain t.me has ceased to open in browsers around the world after the operator of the .me domain zone has disabled it at the level of the global DNS system. The messenger himself continues to work.
The reason for the failure is disclosed by Whois. On the evening of July 13, the domain received the status of serverHold. According to ICANN rules, this status is set by the domain zone operator, after which DNS servers cease to inform the users where the site is located. The browser cannot find t.me, even if Telegram servers work properly.
The domain was not removed or lost due to late payment. Registration t.me is valid until May 20, 2035. The record also includes restrictions on the deletion, transfer, renewal and change of the domain, indicating a forced blocking or administrative freezing at the registry level.
Why the operator of the .me zone applied such strict restrictions is still unknown. ServerHold status may be administered during a legal dispute, security check, complaint investigation or internal technical procedure. Whois does not disclose a specific reason. Telegram, the registrar GoDaddy and the operator of the domain zone of public explanations at the time of publication were not given.
The shutdown occurred at the level of the global .me registry, so the problem is not like a local blocking of a separate Internet provider or in one country. Links have ceased to work independently from the region, browser and telecom operator.
Inside the application, some addresses can still be opened, as Telegram is able to recognize its own links without accessing an ordinary browser. The main damage fell on sites, publications, search results, promotional materials and QR codes that lead to the addresses of the type t.me/username.
At the time of publication, the longer address telegram.me remained available. Users can also find a channel, bot or person directly in the application by name with the symbol @. Owners of large sites are more reliable to use their own short link with a redirect. This approach allows you to change the destination address once without correcting thousands of old publications.
The recovery period t.me is unknown. To return the domain, the registry operator must remove serverHold status, after which the records will reappear in the DNS. Dissemination of updated information over the network may take additional time.
The reason for the failure is disclosed by Whois. On the evening of July 13, the domain received the status of serverHold. According to ICANN rules, this status is set by the domain zone operator, after which DNS servers cease to inform the users where the site is located. The browser cannot find t.me, even if Telegram servers work properly.
The domain was not removed or lost due to late payment. Registration t.me is valid until May 20, 2035. The record also includes restrictions on the deletion, transfer, renewal and change of the domain, indicating a forced blocking or administrative freezing at the registry level.
Why the operator of the .me zone applied such strict restrictions is still unknown. ServerHold status may be administered during a legal dispute, security check, complaint investigation or internal technical procedure. Whois does not disclose a specific reason. Telegram, the registrar GoDaddy and the operator of the domain zone of public explanations at the time of publication were not given.
The shutdown occurred at the level of the global .me registry, so the problem is not like a local blocking of a separate Internet provider or in one country. Links have ceased to work independently from the region, browser and telecom operator.
Inside the application, some addresses can still be opened, as Telegram is able to recognize its own links without accessing an ordinary browser. The main damage fell on sites, publications, search results, promotional materials and QR codes that lead to the addresses of the type t.me/username.
At the time of publication, the longer address telegram.me remained available. Users can also find a channel, bot or person directly in the application by name with the symbol @. Owners of large sites are more reliable to use their own short link with a redirect. This approach allows you to change the destination address once without correcting thousands of old publications.
The recovery period t.me is unknown. To return the domain, the registry operator must remove serverHold status, after which the records will reappear in the DNS. Dissemination of updated information over the network may take additional time.
