Telegram’s Shift in Content Moderation

By Mark Trevelyan and Martin Coulter

LONDON (Reuters) – Telegram boss Pavel Durov announced on Friday that the messaging app would address concerns regarding its content moderation and remove certain features misused for illegal activities.

Durov, who recently faced formal investigation in France for Telegram’s association with crimes such as fraud and child sex abuse, shared his intentions with his 12.2 million subscribers on the platform.

“While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, jeopardizing the interests of our almost billion users,” Durov stated.

“That’s why this year we are committed to turning moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise.”

Although Durov did not provide specific details on how these changes would be enacted, he noted the app had already disabled new media uploads to a blogging tool that had been misused by anonymous users.

Additionally, a less-utilized feature called People Nearby, which faced issues with bots and scammers, was removed and would now highlight legitimate, verified businesses in users’ vicinity.

These announcements marked Durov’s first communications since his arrest in France last month, where he was questioned for four days before being placed under investigation and released on bail.

The case has raised significant concerns in the tech industry regarding free speech online, the responsibilities of social media platforms, and potential culpability for user misconduct.

Durov’s attorney has argued the investigation into him over crimes linked to other users on the app is unwarranted.

Katie Harbath, a former public policy director at Meta now advising tech companies, commented, “It’s good that Durov is starting to take content moderation seriously, but if he thinks this will be simple, he’s in for a rude awakening.”

Furthermore, Telegram has amended its Frequently Asked Questions to clarify that it does not process reports about illegal content in private chats, citing their protection. Durov did not mention this change in his message but did note that Telegram has achieved 10 million paid subscribers.

In a prior post on Thursday, Durov acknowledged Telegram’s imperfections, denying media claims that the platform is an anarchic paradise. “We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day,” he remarked.

Durov expressed surprise at the French investigation, suggesting authorities could have contacted Telegram’s EU representative or himself directly to address concerns. He asserted, “If a country is unhappy with an Internet service, the established practice is to initiate legal action against the service itself.”