The post Durov slams EU for pushing false moderation narrative to justify surveillance overreach appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused the European Union of trying to justify its attempt to increase surveillance on instant messaging through a false narrative. The tech entrepreneur reacted to French media reports covering new allegations of insufficient content moderation on the popular messenger that has been under pressure. Telegram targeted over nude pics traded in channels A campaign group called AI Forensics has claimed it found nearly 25,000 users sharing images of naked women in Spanish and Italian groups on Telegram. The authors of the study, carried out between December 2025 and February 2026, tracked 80,000 files published in 16 Telegram channels over a period of six weeks. The bulk of them were photos, and the rest were mainly videos, including real images and deepfakes, the state-owned TV network France 24 reported Wednesday, quoting Agence France-Presse (AFP). Researchers at AI Forensics told the French news agency that the files were mostly of a sexually explicit nature. Some allegedly contained images of teenage girls. They elaborated: “Social media platforms or other messaging apps function as sources of raw material, while Telegram appears to serve as a hub for the organization, amplification, and circulation of abusive content.” The report criticizes Telegram for failing to put an end to such groups, allowing the trading of intimate images of women without their consent, and urges the messenger to prevent the practice. “During the observation period, several groups were shut down by Telegram only to reopen under the same names just a few hours later,” the activists noted, accusing the messaging service of insufficient mechanisms for moderation. They also alleged that Telegram’s privacy features and mass distribution capabilities were “shaping the conditions under which abusive behavior can develop,” including doxing and harassment campaigns. AI Forensics has called on the EU to label Telegram a “very…

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Filed under: News - @ April 9, 2026 11:26 am