Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app who was arrested and then released on bail in Paris, announced the turning point on X: “We are introducing new features and gradually removing some obsolete ones.” Whether it is the investigation into 12 charges or the EU investigation into the violation of the Digital Services Act, the crackdown seems to have arrived. More moderation of the app, “from a sphere of criticism to a sphere of praise,” and a shutdown of some tools like “Nearby People” “used by less than 0.1% of Telegram users, but which had problems with bots and scammers.” The position is also coming: “The app is not an anarchist paradise. We will collaborate but remain faithful to our principles: to protect our users in authoritarian regimes.”
What changes in the new Telegram
Durov will launch “Nearby Businesses” to replace “Nearby People,” a change to demonstrate the messaging app’s new line: “It will feature legitimate and verified businesses. These businesses will be able to display product catalogs and accept payments without any issues.” Additionally, uploading media to the app’s blogging tool, Telegraph, will be disabled, which Durov said was “being misused by anonymous actors.” As reported by Tutor Citing The Verge, Telegram has also removed references to protecting private chats from its FAQ page. However, it appears that moderation requests will not be processed. Additionally, the app’s source code has reportedly not been changed, but users will be able to report a new chat to moderators. “While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, endangering the interests of nearly a billion users,” it stressed.
“The arrest? A surprise”
Durov also wanted to have his say on his arrest. “Last month, I was questioned by the police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I was told that I could be personally responsible for the illegal use of Telegram by others, as the French authorities did not receive any responses from Telegram,” he wrote in another post about the arrest: “The French authorities had many ways to contact me for help. As a French citizen, I was a frequent guest of the French consulate in Dubai. I personally helped them set up a Telegram hotline to deal with the terrorist threat in France. If a country is not satisfied with an internet service, the established practice is to take legal action against the service itself.” Durov also criticized the approach of the French authorities: “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to accuse a CEO of crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a simplistic approach.” Building technology is hard enough. No innovator will ever create new tools if they know they could be held personally liable for any misuse of those tools. Balancing privacy and security is not easy.” Then comes the statement of intent: “We are committed to working with regulators to find the right balance. Yes, we remain true to our principles: our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we have always been open to dialogue.”
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