2024-09-06 18:29:02
O Telegram silently changed, yesterday, an item in its FAQ 1 related to platform moderation after its CEO 2, Pavel Durovwas arrested in France after the platform was accused of cooperating with the investigation of crimes that allegedly occurred on the messenger.
The item in question is “There is illegal content on Telegram. How do I remove it?”which now mentions the existence of “Report” buttons on the platform, which can be used to report messages with inappropriate content. Until yesterday, this same section said that messages exchanged between users in private conversations were not processed by the service’s moderation.
Before (left) and after (right) of the Telegram FAQ page.
Questioned by The Verge, Remi Vaughna Telegram spokesperson, said the messenger has always let its users “report a new incoming chat to moderators using Block » Report“. She also said that messages on the service remain private and that the app’s source code has not changed — something that can even be verified by third parties.
Vaughn also denied that the removed text had anything to do with the content report, though he did not provide further details:
In Telegram, you can always report messages from any group to moderators, this works like forwarding. Private chats are also private — although you can always report a new incoming chat to moderators using Block » Report. Anyone can check Telegram’s open source code and see that there have been no changes.
The FAQ change just made it clearer how to report content on Telegram, including via DSA[[[[Digital Services Act]. The removed language was never related to content reports.
Now free, Durov has also spoken out a few times in recent days. Today, for example, the executive shared a message on your official channel (also shared on X) in which, in addition to celebrating the milestone of 10 million paid users of the messenger, it also stated that “this year, we are committed to transforming moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism to an area of praise”.
Telegram has reached 10 million paid subscribers. 10 million people are now enjoying Telegram Premium!
Today, we’re introducing new features while phasing out a few outdated ones.
We’ve removed the People Nearby feature, which was used by less than 0.1% of Telegram…
— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 6, 2024
Telegram has reached 10 million paid subscribers. 10 million people are now enjoying Telegram Premium! Today, we’re introducing new features and removing some outdated ones. We removed the People Nearby feature, which was used by less than 0.1% of Telegram users but was known to be a problem for bots and scammers.
In its place, we’ll be launching “Nearby Businesses,” showcasing legitimate, verified businesses. These businesses will be able to display product catalogs and accept payments seamlessly.
We have also disabled the upload of new media to the Telegraph, our independent blogging tool, which appears to have been misused by anonymous actors.
While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crimes, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our nearly 1 billion users at risk.
That’s why this year we’re committed to transforming Telegram moderation from an area of criticism to an area of praise.
The day before, the executive had already done another statement in which he criticized the way the French government handled the situation, but promised to make changes to the way Telegram handles inappropriate content:
Telegram’s sudden increase in user count to 950 million has caused growing pains that have made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I’ve made it my personal goal to make sure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started this process internally, and I’ll share more details on our progress with you very soon.
Today, Durov also announced the end of Telegram’s “People Nearby” feature, which was used by only 0.1% of the platform’s users and was being targeted by bots and scammers, he said. In its place, the messenger will introduce “Close Business”which will only feature verified companies.
Finally, it was also announced that the upload media to the TelegraphTelegram’s independent blogging tool, has also been shut down. According to the CEO, this tool was also used much more by malicious people.
Footnotes
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#Telegram #moderation #stance #CEOs #arrest
Table of Contents
Telegram Revamps Moderation Policy, Allows Reporting of Private Chats
In a significant shift, Telegram has changed its tone on moderating private chats, allowing users to report messages with inappropriate content. This move comes after the platform’s CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France due to allegations of cooperating with investigations into crimes committed on the messenger.
Previously, Telegram’s FAQ page stated that messages exchanged between users in private conversations were not processed by the service’s moderation. However, the page has been updated to include a “Report” button, enabling users to report messages with inappropriate content [[1]].
According to Remi Vaughn, a Telegram spokesperson, the messenger has always allowed users to report new incoming chats to moderators using the “Block » Report” feature. Vaughn emphasized that messages on the service remain private and that the app’s source code has not changed, which can be verified by third parties [[1]].
Vaughn denied that the removed text had anything to do with content reports, stating that the FAQ change simply made it clearer how to report content on Telegram, including via the Digital Services Act (DSA) [[1]].
In a recent message on his official channel, Durov celebrated the milestone of 10 million paid users of Telegram Premium and pledged to transform moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism to an area of praise [[3]].
The move to allow reporting of private chats is seen as a significant shift in Telegram’s approach to content moderation. The platform has faced criticism in the past for not doing enough to tackle illegal content and hate speech.
In a recent interview, Durov stated that Telegram would take a new approach towards moderation, removing some features and revamping rules to allow for the moderation of private chats [[3]].
The revamp of Telegram’s rules is seen as a response to growing pressure from regulators and governments to tackle online harm. The platform has been accused of not doing enough to prevent the spread of illegal content, including child abuse images and terrorist propaganda.
The change in Telegram’s moderation policy is significant, as it marks a shift towards a more proactive approach to tackling illegal content on the platform. While the move has been welcomed by some, others have raised concerns about the potential impact on user privacy.
As Telegram continues to grow and evolve, it remains to be seen how the platform will balance the need to tackle illegal content with the need to protect user privacy.
References:
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/5/24237254/telegram-pavel-durov-arrest-private-chats-moderation-policy-change
[2] https://www.coindesk.com/business/2024/09/06/telegram-revamps-rules-to-allow-moderation-of-private-chats/
[3] https://www.reuters.com/technology/durov-says-telegram-will-take-new-approach-towards-moderation-2024-09-06/
What are the recent changes to Telegram’s content moderation policy following the arrest of CEO Pavel Durov?
Telegram Revamps Content Moderation Policy and Removes Features
In a series of recent updates, Telegram has made significant changes to its content moderation policy and removed some features from its platform. The changes come after CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France following accusations that the platform was not doing enough to combat illegal activities on its platform.
Changes to Content Moderation Policy
One of the key changes is the update to the “There is illegal content on Telegram. How do I remove it?” section of the Telegram FAQ page. The updated section now mentions the existence of “Report”