Telegram has come under unprecedented pressure to clean up its platform this year, after founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France and faces charges related to harmful content shared on the messaging app.
After announcing the response in September, Telegram now says it removed 15.4 million groups and channels associated with harmful content like scams and terrorism in 2024, stressing that the effort was “powered by advanced AI moderation tools.”
The announcement is part of a new censorship page that Telegram recently launched, aimed at improving communication about censorship efforts to the public, according to a post from Durov's own Telegram channel.
Based on Telegram's censorship page, the number of enforcement actions increased significantly after Durov's arrest in August.
Previously, RT reported that on August 28, a French court officially prosecuted Telegram founder, Russian billionaire Pavel Durov, accusing the CEO of complicity in a series of crimes and banned him from leaving France until the case is over.
Durov appeared in court in Paris on August 28, four days after he was arrested upon arriving in the French capital from Azerbaijan. In a statement released late on Thursday, the court said Durov had been formally charged with dozens of crimes, including complicity in “managing an online platform” used by a criminal gang to conduct illegal transactions – a charge the court said carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The remaining charges, announced by prosecutors on August 26, include facilitating fraud, money laundering, drug distribution, child pornography, as well as refusing to turn over user data for law enforcement investigations.
The Russian businessman, who also holds French, UAE and St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship, was released on bail of 5 million euros ($5.55 million).
He was ordered to stay in France until the investigation against him was completed and to report to the police station twice a week.
