The shortlink domain t.me used by the messaging app Telegram vanished from the internet on Monday, leaving users unable to share one‑click links for public groups. Founder Pavel Durov confirmed the problem in an X post, stating that “t.me links have stopped working.”

Why the Domain Went Dark

According to DomainME, the registrar that manages the .me top‑level domain, the domain was placed “on hold due to OFAC compliance.” OFAC, the Office of Foreign Assets Control under the U.S. Treasury, enforces economic sanctions against entities deemed a national security risk. A “serverhold” lock was applied, effectively taking the domain offline.

Link to New U.S. Sanctions

Technologist Jonah Aragon noted that the timing coincided with a fresh Treasury sanction on a VPN provider called First VPN. The sanction list included a shortened t.me link to First VPN’s public Telegram group. Rather than targeting that specific URL, DomainME appears to have suspended the entire t.me domain to ensure full compliance with the new restrictions.

Business and Security Implications

DomainME CEO Predrag Lešić emailed TechCrunch that “the t.me domain is back online” and promised an official statement. The incident underscores how international sanctions can ripple into digital infrastructure, especially when registrars fail to meet U.S. compliance standards and risk hefty fines. A second Telegram domain, telegram.me, was not listed in the sanctions file and remained functional throughout.

Looking Ahead

Telegram has not responded to media inquiries, but the episode signals that messaging platforms must continuously audit their domain strategies amid shifting geopolitical pressures. Users should also be aware that shortlink services can become collateral in broader sanction regimes, prompting the need for alternative sharing mechanisms.