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Why Telegram’s Extremism Worries Governments So Much

Content on Telegram isn’t pushed to users based on their engagement history in the same way it is on other platforms. (Lam Yik/Photographer: Lam Yik/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Whether it’s spreading conspiracy theories or organizing riots, messaging app Telegram has become a focus of extremist activity online. The service, started in 2013, is one of the most downloaded apps worldwide. Its private chat setting has made Telegram a free space for open discussion in countries with authoritarian regimes. But a relatively light-touch approach to content moderation means it’s now a prime target for governments trying to stop criminal activities and the spread of misinformation that can destabilize societies. On Aug. 24, French authorities arrested Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov over an alleged failure to take steps to prevent the criminal use of Telegram, including the spread of child sexual abuse material. The company put out a statement that it abides by European laws. 

What is Telegram?

It’s a text-based chat service that looks and feels a bit like WhatsApp, with additional features similar to what you find on X or Facebook. Telegram chat is used by hundreds of millions of people across the world as a straightforward, everyday communication tool.  

Users can also post stories, create discussion groups or establish what are known as channels. A channel can end up drawing millions of subscribers and become an influential destination for news and information. 

New users have to agree not to send spam or scam users, promote violence or post illegal pornographic content. But in practice there is less content moderation in comparison to the big US-based social media networks. Its moderators will generally remove explicit calls to violence. 

How private is Telegram? 

The extent to which Telegram is encrypted remains murky. While rival messaging services WhatsApp and Signal use end-to-end encryption by default, considered to be among the best ways to safeguard user messages, Telegram does not. 

Instead, the site offers end-to-end encryption only to users who start a “secret chat,” thereby rendering messages unreadable by Telegram and any would-be snoops. Telegram also relies on its own proprietary encryption protocols, meaning that, unlike Signal, security experts can’t test and verify that the company does what it claims. 

Why is Telegram such a potent tool for extremists? 

Content on Telegram isn’t pushed to users based on their engagement history in the same way it is on other platforms like X, TikTok or Facebook. 

But hate speech and disinformation can still go viral on Telegram. One reason for this is that users can cross-post their content from one channel into others. Users who follow a channel for supporters of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, for instance, can be targeted by conspiracy theorists posting links to their own channels with more aggressive political content. 

If the users follow those links, they can find themselves engaging with more radical users sharing more extreme narratives. 

Why are governments so concerned about Telegram?

It’s proving very difficult to track extremists who join the platform and send false or inflammatory information directly to individuals or in chat rooms and channels. 

Law enforcement agencies have more leverage to persuade Facebook and WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms Inc. to help them identify users engaged in illegal activities as it’s a publicly listed company headquartered in the US. They’ve proven to be largely powerless when it comes to Telegram, which is based in Dubai. 

Pro-Russian accounts have been especially active on Telegram in spreading disinformation aimed at undermining support for Ukraine. Russian intelligence officers have used it to recruit petty criminals to carry out acts of sabotage across European capitals. Telegram is also used by many Ukrainians, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.  

Durov’s arrest represents a remarkable moment for the site, which for years has resisted requests to scrub vitriolic content. French officials questioned the executive as part of a case initiated by a cybercrime unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office. The investigation focuses on a range of allegations, including accusations that Durov refused to help authorities run legal wiretaps on suspects and that Telegram enabled the sale of child sex abuse materials, the government said. 

Telegram called the allegations absurd in a statement following Durov’s arrest. 

What was Telegram’s role in the UK riots?

Telegram was used to foment and coordinate anti-immigrant riots in the UK in early August. 

Following the murder of three young girls in Southport, northern England, on July 29, Telegram channels were used by extremists to stir hatred against Muslims, distribute locations and targets for actions and disseminate practical advice for would-be rioters, according to a study by London-based anti-extremism think tank the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. 

It reviewed 16 prominent Telegram channels and groups “actively posting, hosting, and forwarding anti-Muslim and anti-migrant content related to the riots.” Six channels created in direct response to the rioting were removed from the platform on August 5 and 6, it found.

Asked about the app’s role in the UK riots, a Telegram spokesperson said its moderators were “actively monitoring the situation and are removing channels and posts containing calls to violence.” The monitoring includes direct oversight of public parts of the platform, the use of AI tools and user reports, the spokesperson said. 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded with a pledge to crack down on social media platforms that helped to inflame the unrest.

What are the origins of Telegram? 

Telegram was created by Durov, a Russian entrepreneur, and his brother Nikolai, a programmer and mathematician. They made their fortune from creating the Russia-based social network VKontakte in 2006. Pavel fled the country and sold his stake in VKontakte. It was around then that the idea of Telegram was born, with Nikolai developing the platform’s data transfer systems. 

Pavel, sometimes nicknamed Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg, continues to live in self-imposed exile. He often makes headlines for his wealth, with a net worth of over $10 billion. 

The platform has become inextricably linked with cryptocurrencies and issued its own initial coin offering in 2018, called Telegram Open Network.

How does Telegram make money?

In 2020, Pavel Durov announced plans to monetize the platform after reporting zero revenue since its creation. A subscription-based version, Telegram Premium, went live in 2022. Users could pay a fee for an enhanced Telegram experience, including faster downloads and larger file uploads. 

It also introduced a reward system that gives content creators the ability to keep 50% of revenue made from advertising in their channels. Most of the funding for the platform, however, still comes from the founders themselves. 

--With assistance from Daniel Zuidijk, Yuliya Fedorinova, Torrey Clark and Peter Elstrom.

©2024 Bloomberg L.P.