The microblog service Twitter has for the first time implemented a regional block on content, its chief lawyer said on Thursday.

“We announced the ability to withhold content back in Jan. We're using it now for the first time re: a group deemed illegal in Germany,” Twitter’s general counsel Alex Macgillivray tweeted.

“Never want to withhold content; good to have tools to do it narrowly and transparently” he added, referring to the company's policy of making all such requests public.

The account in question is run by the extremist group Besseres Hannover that is now banned in Germany. Twitter took this action following a request from the German authorities in late September.

Users within Germany attempting to access this content will be told that it has been withheld.