Telegram finally takes action to remove child abuse content from its platform.
Telegram will collaborate with the non-profit organization International Surveillance Foundation.
Telegram has taken an important step in the fight against Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) by partnering with the International Watch Foundation (IWF), four months after the arrest of its founder and CEO, Pavel Durov. In August, French authorities filed 12 charges against Durov, including complicity in "distributing, offering, or making available pornographic images of minors, as part of an organized group" and "possessing pornographic images of minors."
The UK-based IWF collaborates with social media platforms, tech companies, and governments to prevent the spread of CSAM. Telegram's inclusion in the IWF allows it to access tools designed to block links to CSAM content, as well as "non-photographic" representations, including images generated by artificial intelligence. Additionally, the IWF provides Telegram with hashes of known CSAM content and any harmful material it detects.
Since 2022, the IWF has reported finding thousands of confirmed instances of CSAM on Telegram. Previously, Telegram had refused to join programs that could help limit CSAM. In a statement, Remi Vaughn, Telegram's head of press and media relations, claimed that the platform "removes hundreds of thousands of child abuse materials each month" through reports and moderation, employing artificial intelligence and hash matching. Although Vaughn acknowledged that support from the IWF would strengthen the company's ability to remove CSAM before it reaches users.
Moreover, Telegram has taken other steps since Durov's detention, announcing in September that it would begin providing IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legal requests, something it had previously resisted. Durov is to remain in France for an indefinite period.
