Instant messaging (IM) service, Telegram, has updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.
The update which was done on Thursday, September 5, 2024, signals a major revamp on how it moderates illegal content.
Previously, the answer to the question “There’s illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?” began with “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.”
The updated answer now says: “All Telegram apps have ‘Report’ buttons that let you flag illegal content for our moderators — in just a few taps.”
Users can now tap on any message on the app and have the option to “Report” it. After pressing the report button, users can select a reason such as spam, violence, child abuse, illegal drugs, personal details, pornography, or others. However, it is not clear how this change affects Telegram’s handling of law enforcement requests.
Also, Telegram has added the option to request an automated takedown of a post by emailing its link to [email protected].
The changes were effected amid the recent arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov on 25 August at an airport north of Paris.
Durov was arrested over alleged criminal offences by others and the dissemination of illegal media on the Telegram platform,
Durov in a statement posted on Telegram, claimed that he cannot be held directly responsible for such activities on his platform and that European Union regulators should have reached out through official channels to the platform first, instead of detaining him.
He said holding him responsible for crimes committed by third parties on the platform was both a “surprising” and “misguided approach”.
“If a country is unhappy with an Internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself,” the Russian-born billionaire, who is also a French national, said.
“Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.”
