Telegram has long been a hotbed for cybercriminal gangs boasting about their attacks and looking to recruit new members, Axios reports. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's arrest over the weekend put a spotlight on what policies Telegram does — and doesn't — have to deter cybercriminals and extremist groups who use its platform. Telegram's relaxed content moderation policies and encrypted service offerings have made it an attractive destination for cybercriminals, terrorists and drug dealers. Terrorist organizations, including ISIS, have used Telegram to claim responsibility for attacks. Politically motivated hackers — including those tied to the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war — also post about their crimes in public Telegram forums. Experts say Telegram has unique features that hackers have been able to abuse in an effort to hide their activities. Secret Chats allows users to turn on end-to-end encryption. That means Telegram has no way of seeing what's discussed in Secret Chat conversations. Users also can't forward these messages, and they can self-destruct — making it even harder for third parties to intercept their contents.
Apple Messages and WhatsApp messages are also encrypted by default, but neither allows users to sign up with a virtual phone number. Telegram accounts don't need to be linked to a SIM card, said Taisiia Garkava, an intelligence analyst at Intel 471. Telegram allows hackers to communicate in real time with little interrruption. By contrast, messaging features in dark web forums typically aren't encrypted and have a lag since they operate similarly to email. Telegram is also unlikely to go completely dark as part of a law enforcement crackdown — unlike a dark web forum. Telegram's terms of service and moderation are vague enough that illegal activity, including the spread of child sexual abuse material, can flourish. As Casey Newton points out in Platformer, Telegram users are officially prohibited from posting illegal pornographic content, but only in public channels, not in private ones. "All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants," an FAQ on Telegram says. "We do not process any requests related to them."
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