Debate telegram to be like a Dark Web that everyone has and able to Access

Around nine months ago, while working on a story, I was unexpectedly added to a large Telegram channel centered on drug sales. Soon after, I found myself in groups focused on hacking and stolen credit cards.

I discovered that my Telegram settings allowed others to add me to their channels without my involvement. Curious, I left the settings unchanged to observe what would happen. Within months, I had been added to 82 different groups. Eventually, I altered the settings to stop it, but I now receive thousands of messages from highly active illegal groups each time I log on.

The recent arrest of Telegram’s billionaire CEO in France has sparked a debate about moderation on his platform. Pavel Durov has been charged with suspected complicity in enabling illegal transactions, drug trafficking, fraud, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material on his site.

While criminal activity occurs on other social networks too, my experience suggests a broader issue that has concerned law enforcement for years.

Here’s a glimpse of the groups I was added to, with all images posted in these groups, and channel names altered to avoid promoting them.

It’s no surprise that some, like cyber-security podcaster Patrick Gray, have referred to Telegram as "the dark web in your pocket" for months.

The dark web, a hidden part of the internet accessible only through specialized software, has been home to illegal goods and services since the launch of the Silk Road marketplace in 2011.

Commenting on Mr. Durov’s arrest, Mr. Gray said on his podcast, Risky Business, that Telegram has long been a hub for crime. “We’re talking about child sexual abuse material, drug sales, and dark web-level criminality that they’re just ignoring,” he stated.

Criminals favor the dark web due to the anonymity it offers—bouncing internet traffic around the world to obscure users’ locations, making it incredibly difficult to trace.

Researchers at the cyber-security firm Intel471 note that before Telegram, much of this activity took place in hidden dark web markets. However, for less-skilled cyber-criminals, "Telegram has become a popular online destination."

The hacker group Qilin, which held NHS hospitals for ransom earlier this summer, notably posted stolen blood test data on its Telegram channel before its dark web site. Additionally, the deepfake service used to create fake nudes of schoolgirls in Spain and South Korea operates fully on Telegram, including payment processing.

Some criminal Telegram channels I was added to also seem to be present on Snapchat, and drug dealers can be found on Instagram, likely making deals in private chats. However, these dealers often promote their Telegram channels on other platforms to direct users there.

In January, state police in Latvia established a unit to monitor chat apps for drug trafficking and communication, identifying Telegram as a key concern.

Child Abuse Material
Telegram claims its moderation is “within industry standards,” but recent evidence suggests otherwise, especially regarding the less visible crime of distributing child sexual abuse material—a topic I did not investigate.

This week, the BBC learned that while Telegram responds to some takedown requests from police and charities, it does not participate in proactive programs to prevent the spread of child sexual abuse images and videos.

Failing to effectively combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is a primary allegation from French prosecutors. “At the heart of this case is the platform’s lack of moderation and cooperation, particularly in combating crimes against children,” said Jean-Michel Bernigaud, secretary-general of French child protection agency Ofmin, on LinkedIn.

Telegram informed the BBC that it actively searches for illegal activities, including child sexual abuse, on its platform, taking action against 45,000 groups in August alone. However, their press office did not respond to further questions.

Not Cooperating with Police
Moderation is just one issue for Telegram. The platform’s response to police requests to remove illegal content and provide evidence is another area of criticism.

As Brian Fishman, co-founder of Cinder, a trust and safety software platform, noted: “Telegram is on a different level: it’s been a central hub for ISIS for a decade. It tolerates CSAM and has ignored reasonable law enforcement requests for years. This isn’t just ‘light’ content moderation; it’s a completely different approach.”

Some might argue that Telegram’s privacy features limit its ability to report this activity to the police. This is true for ultra-private apps like Signal and WhatsApp.

Telegram offers similar privacy through its “Secret Chat” feature, using end-to-end encryption like those apps. This means that conversation content is entirely private and even Telegram cannot access it. However, this feature is not the default, and it appears that most activity on the app, including the illegal channels I was added to, is not “secret.”

Telegram could, if it chose, read all content and share it with police, but its terms and conditions state that it does not. “All Telegram chats and group chats are private among their participants. We do not process any requests related to them,” the company’s terms read.

In June, Pavel Durov told journalist Tucker Carlson that he employs “about 30 engineers” to run his platform.

Telegram’s distant approach to law enforcement has frustrated police officers, as I’ve heard at press events.

French authorities noted in their statements about Mr. Durov’s charges that police in France and Belgium have historically faced an “almost total lack of response from Telegram to legal requests.”

Freedom of Speech
Despite the criticism of Telegram’s moderation approach, some are worried that Mr. Durov’s arrest marks a troubling precedent.

Digital rights organization Access Now expressed concern about the situation. In a statement, they acknowledged that while Telegram is “no model for corporate responsibility,” the group warned that detaining platform staff for user actions without clear alignment with human rights principles could lead to over-censorship and further restrict civic spaces.

Telegram has consistently argued that it is unreasonable to hold a platform or its owner accountable for misuse.

Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), condemned the arrest, describing it as an attack on free speech and calling for Mr. Durov’s release.

Similarly, some of the criminals in the Telegram groups I’m now a part of have been sharing FreeDurov imagery in both English and Russian.