Telegram’s Durov Announces New Crackdown on Illegal Content Amid Legal Pressure

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov announced a fresh crackdown on illegal content circulating on the messaging platform, weeks after his arrest in France for failing to prevent criminal activities on the app. In a message to his 13 million subscribers, Durov explained that the platform’s search feature had been exploited by users to sell illegal goods, prompting Telegram to remove “problematic content” using artificial intelligence.

Durov revealed that the platform has updated its terms of service and privacy policy, ensuring that details of infringers, including their IP addresses and phone numbers, would be shared with authorities upon valid legal requests. “We won’t let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users,” he said.

Durov’s arrest on August 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris came with charges of failing to curb extremist and terrorist content on Telegram. Although initially critical of the arrest, he has since taken steps to meet France’s demands, including improving the app’s “people nearby” feature to showcase legitimate businesses rather than scammers.

The billionaire, known for his private lifestyle and discipline, is committed to improving moderation on Telegram, aiming to turn past criticism into praise. His next steps are being closely monitored as the investigation continues.