The chief government of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has introduced the messaging app will enhance moderation on the platform and has eliminated some options which have been used for criminal activity.
The app’s founder unveiled the modifications on Friday hours after calling his arrest by the French authorities final month “misguided”. Durov has since been charged with allegedly permitting felony exercise on the app.
In a publish on X, the platform previously generally known as Twitter, he stated the messaging app was “dedicated to show moderation on Telegram from an space of criticism into one in all reward”.
The modifications introduced by Durov included eradicating the app’s Folks Close by function which he stated had “points with bots and scammers” and changing it with Companies Close by, that includes legit companies; and disabling media uploads on the app’s running a blog instrument, Telegraph, which Durov stated was being “misused by nameless actors”.
Durov added that Telegram’s practically 1 billion customers had been let down by a minority.
The 39-year-old, who was born in Russia but in addition holds French citizenship, was detained in France in August as a part of an investigation into crimes associated to youngster sexual abuse photographs, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions related to the app.
“Whereas 99.999% of Telegram customers don’t have anything to do with crime, the 0.001% concerned in illicit actions create a foul picture for the complete platform, placing the pursuits of our nearly billion customers in danger,” he stated.
Durov added that Telegram has reached 10 million paid subscribers.
Durov made the publish on X after he used his Telegram channel to make his first public feedback since his detention final month. He referred to as his arrest “misguided” and denied any suggestion the app was an “anarchic paradise”.
Durov stated the investigation into the app was shocking in that the French authorities had entry to a “sizzling line” he had helped arrange and so they might have contacted Telegram’s EU consultant at any time.
“If a rustic is sad with an web service, the established observe is to begin a authorized motion in opposition to the service itself,” he wrote. “Utilizing legal guidelines from the pre-smartphone period to cost a CEO with crimes dedicated by third events on the platform he manages is a misguided strategy.”
Telegram, he stated, was not excellent, however he denied any abuse related to the app.
He added: “However the claims in some media that Telegram is a few kind of anarchic paradise are completely unfaithful. We take down thousands and thousands of dangerous posts and channels on daily basis.”
Durov, who’s price $9bn, prevented being detained in jail earlier than the case is heard with a €5m bail. He was granted launch given that he experiences to a police station twice per week and stays in France.
On Friday Moscow officers confirmed earlier experiences that Durov had declined gives of diplomatic help from Russia after the arrest.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian overseas ministry, stated that Russian diplomats in Paris had taken all “needed actions” relating to Durov’s detention, however he had declined any gives of diplomatic assist.
“For any questions on Durov’s selections on which facet he prioritises on this matter, please contact his attorneys,” Zakharova informed the RTVI outlet.
Durov holds Emirati and Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship, in addition to Russian and French.
His arrest has escalated tensions between Russia and France, with some lawmakers in Moscow claiming that Paris was trying to strain the Telegram founder into handing over the app’s encryption keys to western intelligence companies.
Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin expressed shock over France’s actions in opposition to Durov, describing them as “selective in nature”. In his first public feedback on Durov for the reason that arrest, the Russian president stated he had solely met the Telegram founder as soon as “years in the past” however that they’d not remained involved.
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