Recently arrested in France, Telegram's head Pavel Durov announced new powers for the platform's moderators, allowing them to flag illegal content in private chats.
Changes in Telegram's Policy
Initially, Telegram's policy was that private groups were off-limits to moderators. However, following Durov's arrest in France, where he was accused of facilitating illegal activities including child pornography and drug trafficking, the company changed its policy. Now, moderators can flag suspicious content in private chats for further review.
Pavel Durov's Comment
After his release, Pavel Durov criticized the French authorities and claimed that the charges against him were unfounded. He also stated that he will remain in France pending trial. "I'm still trying to understand what happened in France. But we hear the concerns. I made it my personal goal to prevent abusers of Telegram's platform from interfering with the future of our 950+ million users." Durov also acknowledged that the rapid growth of the user base to over 950 million has "made it easier for criminals to abuse the platform" and promised changes to the app, which he seems to have already begun implementing.
Impact on TON Ecosystem
Following Durov's first public comments online on September 5, criticizing France for its “misguided approach,” there was a rebound for the TON ecosystem. Toncoin, which had plunged 15% in the last month, climbed more than 3% in the last 24 hours to trade at $4.80 as of 8:47 a.m. EST. The market capitalization for meme coins in the TON ecosystem also increased by 4% in the past day, with the third largest crypto in this category, Ton Cat, rising by 29%.
The expansion of Telegram moderators' powers and Pavel Durov's promise to implement changes to the platform could be important steps toward increasing user safety. How the situation with the charges against Durov evolves and what additional measures will be taken remains to be seen.
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