Telegram's Durov announces crackdown on illegal content amid scrutiny

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Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, revealed on September 24 that the messaging platform has intensified efforts to remove illegal content. This announcement follows Durov's recent arrest in France on charges related to the app's use by criminals.

Durov stated that Telegram's search feature had been exploited for illegal transactions, prompting a thorough review using artificial intelligence to eliminate problematic content. "Over the past few weeks," he explained, "we have ensured that all the problematic content we identified in Search is no longer accessible."

In conjunction with these efforts, Telegram has updated its terms of service and privacy policy, indicating a commitment to share user information, including IP addresses and phone numbers, with authorities upon valid legal requests. "We won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users," Durov emphasized.

Durov was arrested on August 24 at Le Bourget airport in Paris and has since been charged with failing to prevent extremist and terrorist content on the platform. Released on €5 million bail, he is required to remain in France and report to police twice a week. Following his arrest, he has announced several changes to address concerns from authorities.