Late Thursday, users discovered social messaging platform Telegram had quietly removed part of a section from its FAQ relating to the moderation of private group chats. Though one key part surrounding the contentious language remains elsewhere, Decrypt has learned.
A section of Telegram’s FAQ had previously stated, “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants,” underneath a question relating to removing illegal content on the messaging app.
That line has since been removed, which sparked speculation from community users over whether Telegram had made changes deliberately following co-founder Pavel Durov's arrest in France last month.
"You could always report a new incoming chat to moderators by using Block > Report," Telegram told Decrypt, "Anyone can check our code and see there were no changes. The FAQ change made it clearer how to report things, including via DSA."
The messaging platform stressed that users have always been able to report messages from any group to moderators also, including acts like forwarding. "Private chats are still private, too," it said.
What fueled the speculation?
While the line was removed from one part of the FAQ, it remains visible underneath the question regarding bot copyright infringements, where Telegram clarifies that private chats remain unmoderated.
Publicly available content like bots, channels, and sticker sets also remain subject to scrutiny.
In any case, parts of the FAQ specifically address takedown requests, stating that Telegram processes those related to illegal public content but refuses to participate in politically motivated censorship.
Telegram notes that it will only block content related to terrorism, like ISIS channels, while allowing peaceful expression of alternative opinions.
The update follows the arrest of Durov, in France on Aug 25. Durov faces charges of failing to cooperate with authorities investigating illegal activities on the platform.
On Thursday, Durov released a statement to X addressing the challenges brought by Telegram’s rapid growth, vowing to “significantly improve” oversight of criminal abuse on his platform.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
Editors note: Updates article to include Telegram's clarification and comments