Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov has pledged to “significantly improve” moderation of criminal activity on his messaging app, 12 days after his arrest in France.
Durov wrote on his Telegram channel on Thursday: that he is aware of criticism regarding the lack of oversight of the app and that changes are underway.
“We have already started this process internally, and I will share with you more details about our progress very soon,” Durov posted on his Telegram channel, the first public comment he has made since his arrest.
Last week, Paris prosecutors charged Durov, a multi-billionaire well-known in tech circles, with various crimes related to an investigation into Telegram, including complicity in the administration of an online platform enabling illicit transactions by an organized group and complicity in crimes related to child sexual abuse material.
Founded in 2013, Telegram has historically been associated with a reluctance to moderate or collaborate with governments. The site’s terms of service state that there is no way to report illegal activity in private conversations. In a rare interview with right-wing personality Tucker Carlson in April, Durov boasted that he often ignored government requests.
Outside organizations that work with technology platforms to help with moderation have also found the app difficult to work with.
The three main groups that work with governments around the world to remove child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online told NBC News that Telegram was the only one completely ignoring their action.
Telegram claims to remove public channels posting CSAM content every day, using a combination of moderators and artificial intelligence.
Durov appeared to admit in his Thursday message that his policy of not responding to government inquiries about allegedly illegal activity on the platform may not be sustainable.
“Even the fact that authorities may be confused about where to send requests is something we should improve,” he wrote.
nbcnews
