Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, has explained that Hamas’ communication channel in the application will keep operating. Durov’s statements come after Telegram faced widespread backlash for allowing the Palestinian group to keep posting war-related content on its network. Durov explained that shutting down this comms channel “risks exacerbating an already dire situation.”
Telegram CEO Makes the Case for Keeping Hamas’ Channels Operating
Telegram, the messaging platform, is in the media spotlight due to its utilization by Hamas, the Palestinian organization, to post violent war-related content. According to reports, Hamas’ official channel in the app has published more than 125 videos documenting its attack on Israel, prompting mainstream media sources and activists to call out Telegram for allowing this kind of content to be hosted on its platform.
Yasmin Green, CEO of Jigsaw, a Google-owned organization that “explores threats to open societies,” told CNBC that she was afraid this kind of content could bring Hamas’ followers to organize and set up more violent acts. Rolling Stones also denounces that Telegram is being used as a hub for unverified information that gets leaked to X (formerly known as Twitter), with the two platforms constituting a disinformation duet.
While X is taking a more active approach, having removed war-related posts while facing a probe from the European Union (EU), Telegram has taken a different approach.
Durov: Closing Hamas’ Channels ‘Risks Exacerbating an Already Dire Situation.’
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov defended the platform’s position, allowing the seemingly official Hamas channel and others related to keep operating. Durov stated that while platform moderators remove millions of “obvious harmful content,” tackling war-related content is rarely as easy.
Durov explained:
Earlier this week, Hamas used Telegram to warn civilians in Ashkelon to leave the area ahead of their missile strikes. Would shutting down their channel help save lives — or would it endanger more lives?
Furthermore, he stated that while other platforms allow what he called “shocking content” to be shown to unsuspecting users, these only get content that they have subscribed to receive while using Telegram. For this, Durov believes it is unlikely for Telegram to be used to amplify propaganda, stressing that this content also serves as “first-hand information” for journalists, fact-checkers, and researchers.
Finally, he called not to take the easy way by destroying this content and warned that doing so “risks exacerbating an already dire situation.”
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