Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, has declared that the platform will be disabling some of its features including the “People Nearby” feature and media uploads to its blog, “Telegraph.” This move, Durov explained, is due to the misuse of these features by a small fraction of users for illicit activities. The potential harm that these individuals can cause, he said, justifies their elimination.
Durov also revealed that there will be an alteration in the geolocation tracking feature. Instead of individual tracking, it will now offer a “businesses nearby” option. Echoing his previous sentiment, he emphasized that this was only used by a handful of Telegram users.
Facing criticism related to content moderation, Durov vowed to improve Telegram in that area. He said, “This year we are committed to turning moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise.”
The platform currently faces charges related to the dissemination of child pornography and less enforced content moderation policies. The French authorities have levied charges on the platform and Durov for money laundering, criminal association, and operating cryptographic services without a license since Aug. 2024. An arrest warrant had already been issued for the Durov brothers in March 2024.
The charges against Telegram started with a probe from French cybercrime investigators into a secret Telegram chatroom alleged to have been luring underage girls for exploitation. Finally, the silence was broken by Durov on Sept. 5, when he used his own platform to clarify the course of events post his arrest. Since then, Telegram has hinted at a shift in its content moderation policy and has started by introducing changes in the language of its FAQs and tailoring certain features.