Telegram update will let users police private chats

Telegram has quietly updated its content moderation policy following the arrest of the firm’s chief executive Pavel Durov in France for allegedly failing to properly police the social media platform.

Users will now be able to report illegal content in both private and group chats, which Telegram moderators will then review, according to an update to the company’s website.

“All Telegram apps have ‘Report’ buttons that let you flag illegal content for our moderators – in just a few taps,” stated a response on the firm’s FAQ page to a section titled: “There’s illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?”

The update marks a departure from its previous policy of keeping all individual and group chats “private amongst their participants”.

A spokesperson for Telegram told The Independent that the change was designed to make it “clearer how to report content on Telegram” and not related to any major policy shift.

In his first public comments following his arrest at a Paris airport last month, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov claimed it was a “misguided approach” for authorities to target tech bosses for crimes committed by third parties on their platforms. He also denied that Telegram was a lawless haven for criminals.

“The claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue,” Mr Durov wrote in a post to his official Telegram channel on Thursday.

“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. Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950 million 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.”