Telegram has quietly changed its moderation rules for “illegal content,” extending the reach to private chats and providing users with an option to “flag illegal content.” This move on Thursday came with a statement from its billionaire CEO, Pavel Durov, who noted: “I made it my personal goal to prevent abusers of Telegram's platform.”

Who Is Responsible?

The charges came about a couple of weeks after French authorities detained Durov at an airport near Paris for questioning. He was later released but charged with complicity in allowing illegal activities on the platform. According to French prosecutors, the charges against him could lead to sentences of up to 10 years in prison and a 500,000-euro fine.

“Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach,” Durov wrote in his statement.

I'm still trying to understand what happened in France. But we hear the concerns. I made it my personal goal to prevent abusers of Telegram's platform from interfering with the future of our 950+ million users.

My full post below. https://t.co/cDvRSodjst

— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 5, 2024

Private and Group Chats Are Not Off Limits

Due to its encrypted structure and group size of up to 200,000 users, Telegram is very popular globally and has about 950 million users. It also hosts numerous accounts of financial services firms, which have also brought the menace of clones and impersonations to the platform.

Now, the platform has quietly removed the condition that previously stated: “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.”

Telegram quietly updates FAQ, removing:

"All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them." pic.twitter.com/ajWOOBAAB5

— db (@tier10k) September 6, 2024

Historically, Telegram's response to its actions following “reports” of “illegal” activities has been very unclear and opaque. Recently, FXStreet’s Co-CEO, Pere Monguió, shared his experience of encounters with Telegram while reporting impersonators of his company and staff.

Interestingly, a joint survey by Finance Magnates and FXStreet found that 60.09% of traders who fell victim to scams on Telegram lost funds, making it the platform with the highest “success rate” for scammers.

“The claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue,” Durov continued in his statement. “We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports. We have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster.”

“However, we hear voices saying that it’s not enough,” he continued. “Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon.”