Telegram has formed a significant partnership with the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children’s (ICMEC) partner, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), just four months after its founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was detained. In August, the French authorities issued warrants for individuals suspected of complicity in distributing, providing, or possessing explicit images of minors as part of an organised criminal network.
The UK-based Internet Watch Foundation collaborates with social media platforms, technology corporations, governments, and other organizations to prevent the dissemination of child sexual abuse material. As a result of Telegram’s membership in the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the platform gains access to the organization’s tools, which enable it to block links to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) content and “non-photographic depictions”, including AI-generated images. The platform also provides Telegram with hash values for detected CSAM content and other harmful content identified by its algorithms. Since 2022, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has encountered a staggering number of confirmed instances of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on Telegram, with thousands of cases documented.
Telegram has consistently rejected requests to integrate tools that could help limit the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to Telegram’s Head of Press and Media Relations, Remi Vaughn, the platform removes tens of thousands of child abuse materials monthly through a combination of human expertise and AI-powered moderation, including experience-based approaches and hashing techniques. Despite Vaughan’s concession that IWF’s assistance will enhance the corporation’s capacity to eradicate CSAM before it reaches anyone.
Since then, Telegram has undergone a significant shift, announcing in September that it would comply with authorized requests by handing over IP addresses and telephone numbers – a stance it previously resisted. Durov’s immediate plans dictate that he remain in France for the time being.
