Telegram has just released a major update and the news is causing reactions. This new update is a dramatic shift in the way the app deals with the private messages, the user can report the content of the violation in both one-to-one messages as well as in the group.
What’s the Big Deal?
For many years, Telegram has been popular as the messenger which focuses on privacy. By default, all message-based interactions with friends or with group members – as a conversation that happened in your living room. There was nobody else who could have laid their hands on it. However, given the recent events, there were certain significant changes made to Telegram.
Telegram has changed the rules quietly after the arrest of its CEO Pavel Durov in France. Durov was criticized for not being attentive enough to track prohibited actions on the website. As a result, Telegram has integrated a feature that allows people to report violations even in individual conversations.
It is like having a neighborhood watch system where people themselves can report anything that appears suspicious to the Telegram moderators by simply tapping.
Telegram quietly updates FAQ, removing:
"All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them." pic.twitter.com/ajWOOBAAB5
— db (@tier10k) September 6, 2024
How It Works: Notify Illegality
It is easy to report an wrongdoing on Telegram, and this is how it is done: The button is added to each current Telegram app, which helps users to report any illegal content they encountered. It is very aptly termed as the ‘911 button’ for chats in absence of any better phrase suitable enough to describe this feature. After having been reported, moderators in Telegram analyze the content and act if necessary.
Before this update, Telegram’s stance was simple: Based on their interactions on the app, users used to say ‘what happens in a chat stays in a chat’.
Why the Change?
Specifically, right after his arrest, Pavel Durov stated that it was wrong to blame tech CEOs for third-party abuses of their platforms. This is how Durov seems to think; what has he got against the creator of his phone, because someone sent an obscene message through that device? He dismissed the allegations that Telegram has been some sort of a ‘no man’s land for unlawful activities’ and said that the company has been trying to delete unlawful materials.
However, it is important to note that Telegram already removes millions of posts and channels daily. It also posts daily transparency reports and collaborates with NGOs to promptly manage emergency moderation concerns. Therefore, there is only an element of novelty in this update while the company was already executing some significant tasks in the background.
The Increase in the Call for Moderation
However, it should be noted that Telegram has been quite active in terms of removing dangerous content. Some may get the impression that their work is not completely done yet. Having almost 950 million customers, the platform has experienced a surge of popularity that has its downsides.
This update is Telegram’s way of ensuring they make the platform safer by raising the level of security. Durov has taken it upon himself to decide how they deal with illicit material, and this user-flagging tool is part of the equation.
How This Change Affects You?
If you are a regular user of Telegram, this new development will of course entail that you are better placed to help in the fight against some of the dangerous activities happening in the said platform. In the course of using it, if you encounter any material that is menacing or unlawful, then you can forward the same to the moderators.
But don’t worry! Telegram is not an application that aims at intruding into people’s lives. Most friendly and/or family chats are kept secret even if they are frequent.
