Telegram quietly edited it Frequently asked questions remove language stating that it does not control private and group chats as reported by CoinDesk. “There is illegal content on Telegram. How can I remove it?” section with title. previously stated that chats and content in group chats remain between participants. Now, the section says, “all Telegram apps have Report buttons, which will allow users to report illegal content to the app’s moderators.” Users just need to tap on the message on Android or long press on it on iOS and select the Report option. They can also bookmark links to content they want to report and send an email to the service’s opt-out email address (abuse@telegram.org).
The change occurred after the head of Telegram, Pavel Durov, published his first public comment on his channel after his arrest. It was Durov was arrested in late August as part of an investigation by authorities at a French airport into the app’s lack of moderation and its failure to curb criminal activity. He had already been released from prison, but he was charged with messaging app “participating in the distribution of child pornography, illegal drugs, and hacking software,” as well as “refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity on Telegram.”
French authorities told Durov that he was arrested because they had received no response from Telegram regarding their investigation. This was surprising, the founder of the program explained in his post, because Telegram has an official representative in the EU and an email address that is open to everyone. He also said that the French authorities have many ways to turn to him for help, and that he has even previously helped them set up a Telegram hotline to combat terrorist threats in the country. In addition, he called the French authorities’ decision “to charge the CEO for crimes committed by third parties on the platform” a “wrong approach”. No innovator would ever build new tools, he said, so they could be held responsible for the potential misuse of those tools.
Durov also spoke about how Telegram defends people’s basic rights, especially where they are violated. For example, in Russia Telegram has been banned when the service refuses to hand over encryption keys that would allow authorities to spy on users. He said the service removes “millions of harmful posts and channels every day”, publishes transparency reports and maintains direct hotlines with NGOs for urgent moderation requests.
However, the CEO admits that Telegram has room for improvement. Its “dramatic increase in user numbers” to 950 million “caused growing pains” that made it easier for criminals to abuse its platform. Telegram aims to “significantly improve things in this regard” and has already started the process internally. The change to its rules is believed to be part of an effort by authorities to address accusations that the messaging service has failed to prevent criminals from using its app. It should be noted that the service announced that it had 41 million users in the European Union at the beginning of this year believe it’s a lie About user numbers not to be regulated by the Digital Services Act (DSA).
