Telegram lets users report private chats to moderators after founder’s arrest

Telegram has quietly updated its policy to allow users to report private chats to moderators following the arrest of founder Pavel Durov in France for “crimes committed by third parties” on the platform.

The messaging app, which has nearly a billion monthly lively users, has long had a status for requiring minimal oversight of user interactions.

On Thursday evening, Telegram began rolling out changes to its moderation policy. “All Telegram apps have ‘Report’ buttons that allow you to report illegal content to our moderators — with just a few clicks,” the corporate states on its updated FAQ page.

The platform also provided an email address for automated content takedown requests, instructing users to provide links to content that requires moderator attention.

It’s unclear how or if this alteration will affect Telegram’s ability to respond to law enforcement requests. The company has previously cooperated with courts to share certain details about its users.

TechCrunch has reached out to Telegram for comment.

The Dubai-based company also has edited FAQ pageremoving two sentences that previously emphasized his stance on privacy in private chats. An earlier version stated, “All Telegram chats and group chats are private among their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.”

The policy changes follow Durov’s arrest by French authorities in reference to an investigation into crimes involving child sexual abuse images, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions.

In response to the arrest, Durov posted on his Telegram channel criticizing the motion: “Using pre-smartphone legislation to accuse the CEO of crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.”

He argued that the accepted practice for countries dissatisfied with web services is to initiate legal proceedings against the service itself, not against its management.