‘New features’: Pavel Durov to make major changes on Telegram messaging app days after release from jail

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov recently made an announcement about introducing ‘new features’ days after being released from France prison.

While pointing out that 10 million paid subscribers are using Telegram Premium, Pavel Durov in a post on his official Telegram channel said, “Today, we’re introducing new features while phasing out a few outdated ones.”

French authorities apprehended the Telegram CEO on charges of enabling illicit content on the popular instant messaging platform. After his release, Pavel Durov blamed sudden increase in user count of the messaging platform that made it possible for criminals to indulge in illegal activities. Denying allegations that the messaging app refused to cooperate with European authorities to limit illegal activities, he said that the user count rose to 950M that “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”

This development comes in the wake of company's decision to curb illicit activities and introduce ‘moderation’ on the messaging app. Pavel Durov's recent post states, “We’ve removed the People Nearby feature, which was used by less than 0.1% of Telegram users, but had issues with bots and scammers."

Moderation efforts

He further mentioned that the messaging app will be introducing “Businesses Nearby” in its place which will allow users to see legitimate and verified businesses. The post further reads, “These businesses will be able to display product catalogs and accept payments seamlessly.”

Another significant update is that users will no longer be able to upload images or videos on Telegraph, Telegram's standalone blogging tool. The CEO acknowledged that it “seems to have been misused by anonymous actors.”

He emphasised that 99.999% of Telegram users are not involved in illicit activities while a mere 0.001% users have created a ‘bad image for the entire platform.’ He noted that the new ‘moderation’ measures to be introduced this year are to transform ‘Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise.’