“In a first constructive discussion on further cooperation, we agreed to continue and intensify the exchange,” Faeser wrote on Twitter.

She said the government would build on this dialogue without giving further details.

Her comments come as EU justice ministers meet to discuss hate speech online.

Telegram has come under intense scrutiny in Germany during the pandemic because it has become the preferred platform for many extremists to organize protests or spread misinformation.

Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office recently announced that it would begin monitoring Telegram content more closely.

The free-to-use instant messaging service has a reputation for allowing any content without moderation. There are virtually no restrictions on the size of groups or the forwarding of messages, unlike on WhatsApp, for example.

Alongside individual and group chats, there are also public channels on Telegram in which the operator can send messages to any number of subscribers.

Faeser, a Social Democrat who has herself been a target of threatening abuse online, vowed to make combatting right-wing extremism a priority when the new German coalition government took office in December.