Telegram quietly updates its FAQ page as Pavel Durov says rapid growth has made it “easier for criminals to abuse our platform”
Top line
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov on Thursday called his arrest by French authorities “misguided” in his first public comments since being released on bail, but acknowledged that his platform needs to do more to combat criminal abuse.
Telegram quietly updated its terms and conditions to combat illegal content on Thursday, as CEO Pavel Durov … (+)
Key data
In a post on his Telegram feed, Durov said it was a misguided approach to use pre-smartphone laws to “charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages.”
Durov also rejected what he said was the media’s characterization of Telegram as “some kind of anarchic paradise,” saying the platform removes “millions of harmful posts and channels every day.”
However, the billionaire acknowledged “voices” that called the platform’s moderation work inadequate, saying Telegram’s “abrupt increase in user numbers” to 950 million “caused teething issues that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”
He has set himself the personal goal of “ensuring that we achieve significant improvements in this regard,” Durov said.
The Telegram CEO did not provide details on how the platform is responding to these issues, saying only that the company has “already started this process internally” and will provide more details “very soon.”
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News Peg
Telegram quietly updated its FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page on Thursday, announcing a major overhaul of how it moderates illegal content. Previously, the answer to the question “There is illegal content on Telegram. How do I remove it?” began with “All Telegram chats and group chats are private among participants. We do not process requests related to this.” The updated answer now reads, “All Telegram apps have ‘Report’ buttons that allow you to report illegal content to our moderators in just a few taps.” Users can now tap on any message in the app and have the option to “report” it. After hitting the report button, users can select a reason such as spam, violence, child abuse, illegal drugs, personal information, pornography, or others. It is unclear how this change will affect Telegram’s handling of requests from law enforcement. Telegram has also added the option to request an automatic removal of a post by emailing the link to [email protected].
Key quote
In his post, Durov said his company continues to work with regulators to find a balance between privacy and security. He then said, “Sometimes we cannot agree with a country’s regulator on the right balance between privacy and security. In those cases, we are ready to leave the country. We have done this many times,” citing Russia and Iran as examples.
Important background
Durov was arrested last month at Le Bourget airport near Paris, shortly after landing from Azerbaijan. The Russian-born billionaire is now a citizen of both France and the United Arab Emirates. After four days in custody, French authorities charged him with several offenses related to illegal activities on Telegram, including facilitating illegal transactions in an organized group and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement. Durov was released on $5.5 million (€5 million) bail, but the billionaire must report to police twice a week and is not allowed to leave France. According to previous reports, French authorities began investigating Telegram in July for facilitating criminal activities, including distributing child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, money laundering and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.
More information
What to know about Pavel Durov: Telegram CEO amid growing tensions between Russia and France – and others (Forbes)
Officials confirm arrest of billionaire Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France: Here’s what we know (Forbes)
