Telegram has announced a partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to combat the spread of child sexual abuse imagery on its platform.
According to the UK-based charity, the messaging app, which boasts over 950 million active users monthly, will implement IWF’s tools and data to “detect, disrupt, remove, and block” such illegal content.
This development follows the arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, who was detained in Paris and charged with failing to remove extremist content and child sexual abuse images from the app. After posting a five-million-euro bail, Durov committed to intensifying efforts against illegal content.
The IWF, recognized for its capacity to track and report online abuse imagery, has identified thousands of such instances on Telegram since 2022. It is one of the rare non-law enforcement entities authorized to search for and report child abuse material globally.
The collaboration aims to curb the distribution of illicit images on Telegram’s public channels. Derek Ray-Hill, interim CEO of the IWF, described the partnership as “a transformational first step on a much longer journey.” He expressed optimism about future initiatives to reduce the circulation of online sexual abuse material significantly.
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Under the new arrangement, Telegram will utilize IWF’s unique digital fingerprints, which identify millions of known child abuse images and videos, to detect when such content is shared. The IWF will also report directly to Telegram when they detect child sexual abuse imagery.
Remi Vaughn, head of Press and Media Relations at Telegram, stated that the IWF’s datasets and tools “will strengthen the mechanisms Telegram has in place to protect its public platform.”
