As social platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Meta, and TikTok face regulators and the theater of public opinion for how they handle incendiary and graphic content, disinformation, writing, and other media related to Hamas and Israel, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has controversially defended his messaging app’s lack of war-related content removal, claiming that it can be an asset.
He also said it differs from social media since users only see subscribed material. That doesn’t account for Telegram content sharing. Durov wrote in his Telegram post today that “Telegram’s moderators and AI tools remove millions of obviously harmful content from our public platform.” Still, he quickly defended the app’s continued inclusion of sensitive content under “war-related coverage.”
Combating war coverage is rarely obvious.” The difference between “obviously harmful” and “war-related coverage” is unclear.
He said, “While it would be easy for us to destroy this source of information, doing so risks exacerbating an already dire situation,” referencing Hamas’ use of Telegram to warn Ashkelon inhabitants of missile attacks. “Would shutting down their channel help save lives — or would it endanger more lives?” he wrote today.
Durov’s views come when Telegram has been crucial to information dissemination, but not exclusively. In the early hours and days of the deadly terrorist attacks, Hamas and its affiliates posted several graphic and unedited videos of their acts on Telegram. Mainstream media and many people posting and sharing news on other social channels, sometimes linking directly to Telegram posts or capturing and resharing their content, quickly cited the app. Telegrams’ function in information distribution is criticized.
Cynics would say Telegram is benefitting from the situation by gaining traffic. Two days after the incident, Durov reported that “hundreds of thousands” of Israeli and Palestinian Territories users were joining Telegram, adding Hebrew support to its UI.
“Everyone affected should have reliable access to news and private communication in these dire times,” he stated. Durov’s remarks and actions are consistent with the company’s sensitive content policy. Durov has consistently defended Telegram by distinguishing it from social media applications.
He stated, “Unlike other apps that algorithmically promote shocking content to unsuspecting people, on Telegram, users receive only the content they specifically subscribed to.” It’s doubtful Telegram channels can considerably multiply propaganda. Instead, they provide academics, journalists, and fact-checkers exclusive first-hand knowledge.
The app has become controversial for its lax approach to violent users. This Verge article describes how it has become a hub for disinformation about the Ukraine war. CNN found that terrorists backing the present administration are using it to attack people and Myanmar resistance organizations. Its dubious role as a forum for terrorists was well-known. (The US, UK, and Israel consider Hamas a terrorist group.)
