Telegram, the encrypted messaging platform with nearly 1 billion active users, has announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
This policy shift is a major reversal for Telegram, which for years resisted external oversight of its content moderation practices.
The announcement, made on December 4, 2024, follows a period of escalating scrutiny. In August, Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris, accused of failing to prevent illegal activities on the platform, including the distribution of CSAM.
The arrest appears to have been a catalyst for the platform’s most significant reforms to date, including new transparency measures, expanded moderation tools, and its first collaboration with an external child protection organization.
“We aim to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise,” Durov declared in a statement shared with Telegram users.
The Catalyst: Durov’s Arrest and Telegram’s Legal Troubles
Pavel Durov’s arrest at Charles de Gaulle Airport on August 17, 2024, marked a key moment for Telegram. French prosecutors charged him with negligence, alleging that the platform’s policies enabled widespread abuse, including child exploitation, drug trafficking, and fraud.
Durov denied the allegations, calling them “misguided”, and has remained in France under legal supervision since his release on bail. The incident intensified existing criticism of Telegram’s moderation practices, with advocates calling for stronger safeguards to protect vulnerable users.
In response, Telegram accelerated its reform agenda. By September, the platform had extended its moderation policies to include private chats, a major shift for a company long committed to prioritizing user privacy over intervention. Telegram also began publishing transparency reports to provide greater accountability.
The IWF Partnership with Telegram
Telegram’s partnership with the IWF marks a historic step in its approach to content moderation. The IWF, a U.K.-based nonprofit, specializes in identifying and removing CSAM through advanced technological tools such as hash-matching.
Hash-matching assigns unique digital fingerprints to known abusive materials, allowing platforms to block duplicates without compromising user privacy. The IWF’s tools also detect AI-generated abuse content, a growing threat as artificial intelligence becomes more accessible to bad actors.
“Now, by joining the IWF, Telegram can begin deploying our world-leading tools to help make sure this material cannot be shared on the service.,” said Derek Ray-Hill, Interim CEO of the IWF. “This is a transformational first step on a much longer journey.”
Telegram’s media relations head, Remi Vaughn, emphasized the importance of the partnership: “The IWF’s datasets and tools will strengthen the mechanisms Telegram has in place to protect its public platform – and further ensure that Telegram can continue to effectively delete child abuse materials before they can reach any users.”
Historical Resistance to Moderation
Telegram’s shift is particularly notable given its history of resisting external oversight. Since its founding, the platform has positioned itself as a champion of privacy and free expression, making it a popular tool in regions with restrictive governments. However, this commitment to privacy often came at the expense of safety, drawing criticism from advocacy groups and regulators worldwide.
From 2022 to 2024, the IWF identified thousands of instances of CSAM on Telegram, including some of the most severe forms of abuse. Telegram’s reliance on internal systems to remove harmful content was seen as inadequate, leaving it an outlier in an industry increasingly focused on proactive moderation.
The Global Impact of Telegram’s Policies
Telegram’s challenges extend beyond CSAM. A United Nations report published in October 2024 linked the platform to widespread criminal operations in Southeast Asia. Criminal syndicates have used Telegram to trade stolen data, distribute malware, and launder money through unregulated cryptocurrency exchanges.
One anonymous vendor in the region claimed, “We move 3 million USDT stolen from overseas per day.” The report highlighted Telegram’s minimal content moderation as a key enabler of these activities.
In South Korea, authorities are investigating Telegram’s role in distributing deepfake adult content, while in India, hackers have used the platform to leak sensitive medical data. These incidents underscore the global stakes of Telegram’s moderation reforms.
Balancing Privacy with Accountability
Since 2018, Telegram has complied with valid legal requests for user data, including IP addresses and phone numbers. Durov clarified in October 2024 that this policy, which applies only to cases involving serious crimes, has not changed despite recent reforms.
Transparency reports reveal that Telegram processed over 6,000 such requests in the first three quarters of 2024, with significant increases in Europe due to compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act.
A New Chapter for Telegram
Telegram’s partnership with the IWF signals a broader effort to rebuild trust and align with global safety standards. The reforms aim to balance the platform’s foundational principles of privacy and free expression with the urgent need to protect users from harm.
While challenges remain, the collaboration with the IWF represents a critical step forward. As Ray-Hill noted, “This is a transformational first step on a much longer journey.” Telegram’s ability to sustain these changes will determine its role in platform accountability.
