Telegram Takes Bold Action Against Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) by Partnering with the International Watch Foundation

In a decisive move to combat the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), Telegram has joined forces with the International Watch Foundation (IWF). This partnership comes just four months after the company’s founder and former CEO, Pavel Durov, faced serious legal challenges in France, where he was charged with multiple offenses. These charges include serious allegations of “distributing, offering, or making available pornographic images of minors in an organized group” and “possessing pornographic images of minors.” This collaboration marks a significant shift in Telegram’s approach to ensuring child safety on its platform.

As a renowned UK-based organization, the IWF is dedicated to working alongside social media platforms, technology firms, and government entities to effectively halt the spread of CSAM. By becoming a member of the IWF, Telegram gains access to a range of advanced tools designed to block links to CSAM content and to tackle “non-photographic depictions,” which include images generated by artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the IWF will supply Telegram with hashes of known CSAM content, enabling the platform to proactively identify and remove harmful material. Since 2022, the IWF has reported discovering thousands of confirmed instances of CSAM circulating on Telegram, highlighting the urgency of this issue.

Historically, Telegram has resisted joining any initiatives aimed at curbing CSAM, citing its commitment to user privacy. However, Remi Vaughn, Telegram’s Head of Press and Media Relations, recently acknowledged in a statement that the platform currently removes hundreds of thousands of child abuse materials each month through a combination of user reports, AI moderation, and hash-matching techniques. Vaughn also admitted that the support from the IWF will significantly enhance Telegram’s capability to eliminate CSAM before it can be accessed by users, demonstrating a willingness to adopt more robust measures in the fight against these heinous crimes.

In response to the legal challenges faced by Durov, Telegram has implemented additional measures since his arrest. In September, the company announced a pivotal change in its policy regarding legal requests, agreeing to provide IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities—something it had previously resisted. As Durov remains in France for the foreseeable future, these actions reflect Telegram’s commitment to improving its practices surrounding user safety and compliance with legal standards.