Messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognized organization to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse content (CSAM) online. The company made the decision after years of ignoring calls to join the child protection scheme.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), an online service provider, helps identify, remove, and prevent the spread of CSAM.
Telegram repeatedly did not want to be associated with this organization or any similar scheme.
The platform announced the major changes following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in Paris. Pavel was charged in Paris with Telegram's failure to control excessive content.
The IWF described Telegram's decision as 'transformational'. But the company warns, this is the first step in a 'much longer journey'.
“Joining the IWF allows Telegram to begin using our world-leading tools to ensure that this type of content cannot be shared across platforms,” said IWF Interim CEO Derek Ray-Hill.
Around 950 million people worldwide use Telegram. The platform has previously established itself as an app that values the privacy of its users more than other social media platforms.
However, reports from the BBC and other news agencies have revealed that criminals are using the Telegram app to advertise drugs, provide cybercrime and fraud services, and ultimately, share child sexual abuse materials (CSAM).
Last August, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested at an airport north of Paris. Durov has been charged with drug trafficking, sharing child sexual content and fraud for failing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.
French judges have banned Durov, 40, from leaving France pending the next phase of the investigation. The company claims that Durov should not have been arrested and should not be held responsible for users' activities on the platform.
However, since then, Telegram has announced several changes to its operating system. This includes providing the IP address and phone number of those who break the platform's rules to the police upon legitimate legal request. Disabling features like 'People Nearby', publishing regular transparency reports on the extent of content removals.
Durov also promised to 'turn Telegram's moderation from a place of criticism to a place of praise.' This partnership with the IWF appears to be the latest step in this process.
The IWF maintains an ever-changing list of content abuse.
Telegram said that before becoming a member of the IWF, it used its own system to remove hundreds of thousands of content per month. Its membership of the organization will strengthen its processes.
The app is marketed as a full end-to-end encrypted messaging service. This means that messages sent in the app can only be read by readers and subscribers. But in fact most communications are done with simple encryption, raising questions about how secure it is against hacking and interception.
Notably, Durov was born in Russia and currently resides in Dubai. He is a citizen of Russia, France, United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Telegram is especially popular in Russia, Ukraine, former Soviet Union states and Iran.
