Telegram is taking a significant step to reduce child sexual abuse material (CSAM), partnering with the International Watch Foundation (IWF) four months after the former's founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested. The French authorities issued 12 charges against Durov in August, including complicity in "distributing, offering or making available pornographic images of minors, in an organized group" and "possessing pornographic images of minors."
The UK-based IWF works with social media platforms, tech companies, governments and more to prevent the spread of CSAM. Telegram's membership to the IWF grants it access to the organization's tools that block links to CSAM content and "non-photographic depictions," including AI-created images. It also provides Telegram with hashes of known CSAM content and any harmful content the organization detects. The IWF reports having found thousands of confirmed instances of CSAM on Telegram since 2022.
Telegram has previously refused to join any programs that could help limit CSAM. In a release, Telegram's Head of Press and Media Relations Remi Vaughn claimed the platform "removes hundreds of thousands of child abuse materials each month" through reports and moderation through AI, hash-matching and more. Though Vaughn conceded IWF's support will strengthen the company's ability to delete CSAM before it reaches anyone.
Telegram has taken other steps since Durov's arrest, announcing in September that it would hand over IP addresses and phone numbers in legal requests — something it fought in the past. Durov must remain in France for the foreseeable future.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/telegram-finally-takes-action-to-remove-csam-from-its-platform-134514444.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/social-media/telegram-finally-takes-action-to-remove-csam-from-its-platform-134514444.html?src=rssLogin to add comment
Other posts in this group
Tesla has quietly unveiled its facelifted Model Y with new styling that will help it keep up with rivals like Kia and Volvo
X is further aiming to clamp down on impersona
CES 2025 is almost over, but if you're wondering if some of the products showcased there are avai
Google has teamed up with the Linux Foundation to establish a new initiative ca
As we finish up our live coverage of all things CES, it’s time to pick the best in show. So many of the new things we saw this year had an AI component, with a noticeable uptick in AR glasses, hear
