Source: AFP
Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov said on Monday that the messaging platform had removed more “problematic content”, weeks after he was arrested in France on charges of failing to act against criminals who use the app.
Telegram’s search feature “has been misused by people who violated our terms of service to sell illegal products,” Durov told the 13 million subscribers to his personal messaging channel.
“Over the last few weeks” staff had been combing Telegram using artificial intelligence to ensure “all the problematic content we identified in Search is no longer accessible,” he said.
Durov added that the platform updated its terms of service and privacy policy to make clear that it would share offenders’ details with authorities — including Internet IP addresses and phone numbers — “in response to valid legal requests”.
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“We will not let bad actors compromise the integrity of our platform for nearly a billion users,” he said.
Durov was arrested on August 24 as he arrived at Le Bourget airport outside Paris by private jet.
After days of questioning, he was charged with multiple charges of failing to curb extremist and terrorist content and was released on bail of five million euros ($5.6 million).
During the investigation he must remain in France and report to the police twice a week.
Durov — who holds Russian, French and United Arab Emirates passports — initially criticized his arrest but has since announced measures that appear to bow to Paris’s demands.
On September 6, he said Telegram would change its “people nearby” feature to show users “legitimate businesses” instead of “bots and scammers.”
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“This year we are committed to turning moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism to praise,” he said at the time.
Durov, an enigmatic figure who rarely speaks publicly, has a fortune estimated at $15.5 billion by Forbes magazine, but touts the virtues of an ascetic life that includes ice baths and no alcohol or coffee.
Source: AFP
