Telegram Blocks 15.4 Million Groups, Channels in 2024 Amid Crackdown on Harmful Content
Messaging platform Telegram has announced it blocked 15.4 million groups and channels in 2024 as part of its intensified efforts to combat harmful content, including fraud, terrorism, and Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). The company revealed these details through a newly launched moderation page aimed at increasing transparency around its content moderation practices.
This crackdown comes amid heightened scrutiny of the platform following the arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, in France. Durov was detained on August 24, 2024, upon arriving for a dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron.
He was charged with failing to adequately moderate extremist and illegal content, which authorities claim has turned Telegram into a hub for terrorists and drug traffickers. The case is still ongoing, but Durov has been granted conditional release on €5 million bail and must remain in France, reporting to the police twice weekly.
Telegram credits its recent progress to the deployment of advanced AI moderation tools, which have enabled the removal of millions of pieces of harmful content. The platform revealed that it now blocks tens of thousands of groups and channels daily for violating its Terms of Service, particularly materials that promote violence, terrorism, or illegal trade.
The company highlighted its zero-tolerance stance on CSAM, disclosing that 705,688 groups and channels related to such content were blocked in 2024 alone.
“Since 2018, public images have been automatically checked against a hash database of CSAM banned by our moderators over the past decade. In 2024, we expanded this database with hashes from organizations like the Internet Watch Foundation,” Telegram said.
Daily transparency reports on CSAM removal have now been added as a core aspect of Telegram’s fight against such content.
In its battle against terrorism, Telegram reported the blocking of 129,986 terrorist-related communities in 2024. The platform emphasized its collaboration with organizations such as ETIDAL, the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.
“Through its collaboration with ETIDAL alone, Telegram’s moderators have removed over 100 million pieces of terrorist content,” the company stated.
Following his release, Pavel Durov addressed the platform’s content moderation challenges, acknowledging Telegram’s efforts to comply with regulations, including having a European Union compliance officer overseeing its adherence to EU laws. However, he criticized attempts to hold tech founders responsible for user actions as a “misguided” approach.
Telegram’s crackdown reflects the company’s ongoing struggle to balance user freedom with regulatory demands as it serves a growing user base of over 900 million globally. Despite its recent efforts, the platform remains at the center of controversy surrounding its role in managing harmful and illegal content.
