The CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has said the messaging app would keep some of the more delicate war-related coverage available on the platform, insisting that it may prove to be a crucial avenue for information.
He said contrary to claims of disinformation and misinformation, the app users can only access the information only when they subscribe to it.
Durov claimed in a Telegram post today that “Telegram’s moderators and AI tools remove millions of obviously harmful content from our public platform,” using some of the more “high-level” terminology other social media executives have employed.
“Tackling war-related coverage is seldom obvious.
“While it would be easy for us to destroy this source of information, doing so risks exacerbating an already dire situation,” he continued, citing how, he said, Hamas used Telegram to warn civilians in Ashkelon to leave the area ahead of missile strikes.
“Would shutting down their channel help save lives — or would it endanger more lives?” he asked in his post on Friday.
Durov’s remarks come at a time when Telegram, though not just in Telegram channels, has unquestionably been at the centre of how information has been spreading to the rest of the world.
His comments also came at a time when the European Union is pressuring social media platforms to control misinformation about Hamas on their platforms. Facebook has announced that the company will be taking down every information about Hamas from their platform going forward.
