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Telegram disables ‘misused’ features as CEO faces criminal charges

Suddenly, Telegram has changed its tune on moderation.

In late August, French authorities arrested and charged Durov with enabling legal transactions and complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material. Durov’s first post-arrest statement Thursday said, “Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. However, security researchers reported that bad actors use the tool to carry out phishing scams by creating phony website landing pages or notices that trick users into divulging personal information.

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