Telegram Keeps Refusing to Join Child Protection Programs

Telegram, a popular messaging app with over 950 million users, is facing criticism for refusing to join international efforts to detect and remove child abuse material online.

Unlike other major tech companies, Telegram has not signed up with the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) or the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), both of which work with online platforms to fight child sexual abuse content.

This comes after Telegram’s founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France. The 39-year-old billionaire is accused of failing to cooperate with law enforcement on issues related to drug trafficking, child sexual content, and fraud. Authorities claim Telegram’s lack of moderation on its platform allowed criminal activities to occur.

Telegram has defended its moderation practices, saying they meet “industry standards” and are improving. However, unlike other social networks, Telegram has not joined NCMEC’s CyberTipline, a program with over 1,600 companies that helps track and report child abuse material. Telegram, founded in Russia, is now based in Dubai, where Durov lives.

NCMEC and the IWF have repeatedly tried to get the platform to join their efforts, but the company has ignored their requests. An IWF spokesperson expressed disappointment, saying that despite attempts to work together, Telegram has not taken steps to block or prevent the sharing of child abuse images.

Without being part of these programs, the platform cannot actively search for, remove, or block known child sexual abuse material that has been flagged by these organizations. Although Telegram does remove this content when it is found, the IWF noted that the company is slower and less responsive than others.

The BBC reached out to Telegram for a comment on this issue, but the company has not responded. In the past, Telegram has argued that it is “absurd” to blame the platform or its owner for how people misuse it.

Telegram also does not participate in the TakeItDown program, which helps remove revenge porn. Other platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and OnlyFans, are part of this program.

Unlike most social networks, the platform does not regularly publish transparency reports that show what content has been removed due to police requests. While other platforms publish these reports every six months, it only shares them on a channel in its app and does not keep a history of previous reports.

In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Durov said Te is run by a small team of about 30 engineers. Durov, who was born in Russia and now holds citizenship in both the United Arab Emirates and France, has made Telegram especially popular in Russia, Ukraine, former Soviet Union countries, and Iran.

As the pressure on Telegram grows, many are questioning the company’s commitment to tackling illegal content on its platform and its willingness to work with global child protection efforts.