Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, has announced significant changes to the messaging platform’s content moderation policies and features in response to recent legal challenges and criticism. This comes in the wake of Durov’s arrest and subsequent release on a €5 million bail in France, where he faces charges related to the platform’s alleged role in facilitating illegal activities.Acknowledging that Telegram’s rapid growth to 950 million users has made it more susceptible to misuse, Durov stated, ‘99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crimes, but 0.001% are involved in illicit activities that create a bad image for the platform as a whole, putting the interests of nearly a billion users at risk’. In response, he has pledged to shift the platform’s content monitoring approach ‘from criticism to praise’.Specific changes announced include the removal of the ‘People Nearby’ feature, which was used by less than 0.1% of users but had issues with bots and scammers. In its place, Telegram will launch ‘Businesses Nearby’ to showcase verified and legitimate companies. Additionally, the platform has disabled new media uploads to Telegraph, its blogging tool, which Durov said was being misused by anonymous actors.Durov also revealed that Telegram has updated its FAQ to provide clearer instructions on reporting illegal content, including a ‘Report’ button and an email address for automated reports. This change comes alongside the announcement that Telegram Premium has reached 10 million paid subscribers.While defending Telegram against accusations of being a ‘lawless paradise’, Durov emphasized the platform’s commitment to removing millions of harmful publications and channels daily. He also highlighted Telegram’s past cooperation with authorities, including helping French officials establish a hotline to address terrorism threats.However, Durov warned that if Telegram cannot agree with local regulators on the ‘balance between privacy and security’, the company is willing to exit markets, citing past examples in Iran and Russia. He expressed hope that recent events would lead to Telegram and the entire social media industry becoming ‘safer and stronger’.
Key points
- Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announces significant changes to platform’s content moderation and features.
- Durov acknowledges challenges with rapid user growth to 950 million, pledges to improve security measures.
- Specific changes include removing ‘People Nearby’, launching ‘Businesses Nearby’, and disabling new media uploads to Telegraph.
- Telegram updates FAQ to provide clearer instructions on reporting illegal content.
- Durov warns of potential market exits if unable to balance privacy and security with local regulations.
Contradictionsđź‘ľWhile Durov emphasizes Telegram’s cooperation with authorities, including French officials, he also criticizes the French authorities’ approach to his arrest and investigation.
