Telegram removes the “People Nearby” feature and improves moderation | Telegram

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has announced that the messaging app will improve moderation on the platform and has removed some features that were used for illegal activities.

The app's founder announced the changes on Friday, just hours after calling his arrest by French authorities last month “misguided.” Durov has since been charged for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the app.

In a post on X, he said the messaging app was “determined to transform Telegram's moderation from an area of ​​criticism to one of praise.”

The changes announced by Durov include removing the app's “People Nearby” feature, which he said had “problems with bots and scammers,” and replacing it with “Businesses Nearby,” which showcases legitimate businesses. It also disabled media uploads to the app's blogging tool, Telegraph, which Durov said was being “abused by anonymous actors.”

The Verge, a tech news site, also reported that Telegram removed references on its FAQ page to the fact that private chats were protected and that requests to moderate those chats would not be processed. A spokesperson told the site that the app's source code had not been changed, but users could report a new chat to moderators.

Durov added that Telegram's nearly one billion users have been let down by a minority.

The 39-year-old, who was born in Russia and also holds French citizenship, was arrested in France in August as part of an investigation into crimes related to child sexual abuse images, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions related to the app.

“While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% who are involved in illegal activities cast a bad light on the entire platform and endanger the interests of our nearly one billion users,” he said.

Durov added that Telegram had reached 10 million paying subscribers.

Durov made the post on X after using his Telegram channel for his first public comments since his arrest last month. He called his arrest “misguided” and denied any suggestion that the app was an “anarchic paradise.”

Durov said the investigation into the app was surprising because French authorities had access to a “hotline” he helped set up, allowing them to contact Telegram's EU representative at any time.

“When a country is unhappy with an internet service, it is common practice to take legal action against the service itself,” he wrote. “Using pre-smartphone laws to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.”

He added: “But the claims in some media that Telegram is some kind of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue. We delete millions of malicious posts and channels every day.”

Durov, whose net worth is estimated at $9 billion, avoided being detained before the case was heard by posting a €5 million bail. He was released on condition that he report to police twice a week and remain in France.

On Friday, Moscow officials confirmed previous reports that Durov had rejected offers of diplomatic assistance from Russia following his arrest.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Russian diplomats in Paris had taken all “necessary measures” regarding Durov's detention, but he had rejected any offers of diplomatic assistance.

“If you have any questions about Durov's decision as to which side he prefers in this matter, please contact his lawyers,” Zakharova told RTVI.

Durov also holds citizenship of the Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis.

His arrest has escalated tensions between Russia and France, with some politicians in Moscow claiming Paris was trying to pressure Telegram's founder into handing over the app's encryption keys to Western intelligence agencies.

Earlier this week, Vladimir Putin expressed surprise at France's actions against Durov, calling them “selective in nature.” In his first public comments on Durov since the arrest, the Russian president said he had met the Telegram founder only once, “years ago,” and they had not been in contact since.