After CEO's arrest, Telegram's dark side comes to light

Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France on August 24, a wave of revelations revealed the platform's transformation into a hub of criminal activity .

Telegram, launched in August 2013, has gained global popularity thanks to its strong security features and user anonymity, amassing nearly 900 million users. However, it has also been used for illegal activities, including deepfake- related sex crimes and drug trafficking.

Read related: Telegram – Pavel Durov breaks his silence two weeks after his arrest

On September 7, The New York Times published an article titled “How Telegram Became a Playground for Criminals, Extremists and Terrorists.” Through a four-month analysis of more than 16,000 Telegram channels and over 3.2 million messages, the report uncovered more than 22 drug trafficking channels and cases of illegal arms trafficking. The article described Telegram as “a global sewer of criminal activity, disinformation, child sexual abuse material, terrorism and racist incitement.” It further noted that Telegram operates as a “romantic organization” and has long acted as if it were above the law — although that may change. It also warned that patience with the app is running out in many democratic countries.

On the same day, the Wall Street Journal published an article titled “How Telegram Became the Preferred Platform for Criminals.” The article focused on the app’s role in facilitating the sale of illicit goods, including pedophilia, stolen identities, and drugs. The report described how a Telegram channel advertised passports, IDs, and selfies as samples of scammers seeking to open fraudulent bank accounts.

See more: Telegram tackles Deepfake Porn in South Korea

The article also highlighted the extent of criminal activity on Telegram: “Thousands of channels and groups are offering stolen identities to open bank and investment accounts, with some selling ready-made accounts using stolen information. One channel called Bank Store Online listed accounts from over 60 banks and cryptocurrency, with prices ranging from $80 (~€72) for a personal account to $1,800 (~€1,628) for a business one.”

Before the arrival of Telegram, criminals usually operated on the dark web, an invisible part of the internet with slow and difficult-to-navigate sites, which were vulnerable to interventions by law enforcement authorities. The Wall Street Journal has noted that the speed and functionality of Telegram make it a much more effective platform for the purchase and sale of illegal goods.

Read also: Pavel Durov arrested in France – Telegram statements

“The New York Times” highlighted that the unique features of Telegram, such as “channels” and “supergroups”, have contributed to it becoming a haven for illegal activities. Initially designed as broadcasting tools for news media and governments, the channels allow administrators to share large files (up to 2 GB) with a broad audience. Supergroups, which resemble «lawless AOL chat rooms», attract many users, but at the same time also serve as a tool for criminals who wish to quickly delete evidence, and administrators have the ability to delete an entire group's content with a single action.

However, Telegram has been slow to cooperate with law enforcement. Svenja Meininghaus, a prosecutor in Germany who focuses on illegal hate speech, told The New York Times that other major social media have established procedures for cooperating with authorities.

See also: Telegram's EvilVideo bug spreads malware

However, he added that “we have had absolutely no cooperation from Telegram” and noted, “I can’t recall any case.” In South Korea, Telegram has failed to respond to more than 200 police requests for investigative data over the past 11 years.

Source: chosun