Telegram is not an “anarchic paradise,” CEO Pavel Durov says after arrest

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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, in his first public comments since being arrested by French authorities, said that Telegram is not an “anarchic paradise” but promised that the platform will enhance its moderation of harmful content.

While Telegram has room for improvement, “the claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue,” Durov wrote on Telegram yesterday. “We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports (like this or this). We have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster.”

The links Durov provided go to Telegram channels that report the number of groups and channels banned for terrorist content and child-abuse content. Telegram has been criticized by groups such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for allegedly not cooperating on removal of child sexual abuse material.