Telegram changes approach: app joins child protection program

After years of refusing to participate in child protection programs, messenger Telegram has announced that it has entered into a partnership with the International Foundation to Combat the Spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material (IWF). The decision is a significant step for the company, which has previously faced criticism for failing to tackle extremist content.

After years of refusing to participate in child protection programs, Telegram has announced a partnership with the IWF.

Telegram and IWF: the beginning of a long journey

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IWF, whose collaboration has already become standard for most major online platforms, provides tools to detect and remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to IWF interim CEO Derek Ray-Hill, Telegram’s involvement has been “transformational,” but it’s just the beginning of the journey for the platform.

Telegram, with its audience of about 950 million users worldwide, has long had a strict privacy policy, defying the norms adopted by other major social platforms. But after founder Pavel Durov’s arrest in France linked to inadequate content moderation, the company began to change its ways.

Telegram’s changes

The changes announced by Telegram include:

• Transmission of user data: IP addresses and phone numbers of offenders will be shared with police upon request.
• Disabling “people nearby”: This feature has been used by bots and scammers, prompting its removal.
• Publication of moderation reports: Telegram will start releasing regular reports on the amount of content removed, as other platforms do.

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Durov also said he intends to turn Telegram’s moderating from a subject of criticism to an area of positive feedback.

Durov also said he intends to turn Telegram’s moderating from a subject of criticism to an area of positive feedback.

Problems to be solved

Despite steps toward transparency, Telegram faces serious challenges. Experts have called the app “the dark web in your pocket” because of its platform’s use for drug advertising, fraud and CSAM distribution. IWF members believe that Telegram’s cooperation with the foundation will help strengthen existing mechanisms for combating such content.

Telegram claims that before joining the IWF, it was removing hundreds of thousands of pieces of content each month using its own systems. Working with the foundation should make those mechanisms more effective.

Telegram says that before joining the IWF, it was removing hundreds of thousands of pieces of content each month using its own systems.