Telegram has removed part of a response to one of its frequently asked questions regarding the reach of its moderation nearly two weeks after French authorities arrested its CEO, Pavel Durov, for allegedly failing to moderate the app and allowing the spread of illegal content.
On Sept. 6, Telegram’s FAQ page removed language from its answer on how users can report illegal content that said: “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.”
That part of Telegram’s answer now only appears in a section on how users can report copyright infringement. A previous version of the page, archived on Sept. 5, shows Telegram used the lines to answer both questions.
A section of language that was removed from Telegram’s answer on illegal content moderation. Source: Internet Archive
The updated language answering the question on reporting illegal content now highlights Telegram’s “report” button, letting users “flag illegal content for our moderators.”
Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the change.
On Sept. 5, Durov issued his first public statement since his August arrest, saying he wanted to improve the app’s content moderation.
“Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform,” Durov said. “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, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon,” he added.
It’s a change in tone from an earlier statement from Telegram after Durov’s arrest, where the platform said its CEO had “nothing to hide” and added it was “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner” would be responsible for any misuse of that platform.
French authorities arrested Durov — a Russian-born French citizen — on Aug. 24 at an airport outside of Paris.
He was later indicted for allegedly allowing the spread of child sexual abuse content, drug trafficking, fraud, and terrorism on the Telegram platform and was accused of failing to cooperate with law enforcement.
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