Durov Announces Enhanced Moderation on Telegram

The founder of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, published his first post following his release. In it, he thanked the community for their support and expressed surprise at having to bear personal responsibility for the unlawful actions of third parties.

“Using pre-smartphone era laws to accuse a CEO of crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a flawed approach. No innovator will create new tools if they know they could be held personally accountable for potential misuse of these tools,” Durov wrote.

According to him, Telegram has numerous channels for law enforcement agencies to reach out, including an official representative in the EU and a hotline to combat the threat of terrorism in France.

“We strive to engage with regulators to find the right balance [between privacy and security]. Our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we have always been open to dialogue,” the entrepreneur emphasized.

He noted that Telegram is prepared to exit markets that are incompatible with the company’s principles of protecting fundamental human rights, especially in places where these rights are violated.

“When Russia demanded we hand over ‘encryption keys’ for surveillance purposes, we refused — and Telegram was banned in Russia. When Iran demanded we block channels of peaceful protesters, we refused — and Telegram was banned in Iran,” the messenger’s creator wrote.

Durov spoke about the removal of “millions of malicious posts and channels every day.” He acknowledged that the growth to 950 million users has affected the quality of moderation, but the messenger’s team is already working on optimizing processes.

On the evening of September 5, Telegram updated its FAQ section concerning unlawful content, removing information that chats are confidential and data is not subject to transfer to authorities.

Information circulating online about the relocation of the wording to another section pertains exclusively to copyright and is not related to unlawful content. This section was previously contained there.

On August 24, French authorities detained Telegram founder Pavel Durov at Le Bourget airport as part of an investigation opened on July 8 regarding an “unidentified person” under 12 articles.

The charges include illegal provision of cryptographic services, refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, complicity in the distribution of child pornography, aiding drug trafficking, and organized crime activities.

On August 28, Durov was placed under judicial supervision with a €5 million bail and the obligation to appear at the police station twice a week. He is prohibited from leaving France until March 2025.

Previously, ForkLog discussed the case of the Telegram founder with guests on the podcast “Should Have Bought.”