Telegram will start moderating private chats after CEO’s arrest

Telegram will start moderating private chats after CEO Pavel Durov's arrest in France.

: Telegram has updated its FAQ page, indicating that private chats are no longer exempt from moderation. This change follows the arrest of CEO Pavel Durov in France on charges related to criminal activities on the platform. Durov has committed to improving content moderation as the platform grows. The FAQ page now includes instructions for reporting illegal content.

Telegram has made a significant change to its policy by removing language from its FAQ page that previously stated private chats were shielded from moderation. This update comes in the wake of CEO Pavel Durov's arrest in France, where he faces preliminary charges for the company's alleged role in distributing child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking. Durov has addressed the issue publicly, promising to enhance content moderation on the platform.

The CEO attributed these changes to the platform's rapid user growth, which reached 950 million, creating opportunities for criminal misuse. Durov expressed his personal commitment to improving the situation and mentioned that internal processes to address these problems have already begun. More details on the progress are expected to be shared soon.

As part of these reforms, Telegram's FAQ page now informs users about a 'Report' button available on all Telegram apps for flagging illegal content to moderators. This is a departure from the previous stance, where the company claimed it did not handle requests related to private chats and group chats.

TelegramCEO arrestModeration