After Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France, the messaging platform’s FAQ page has seen a change in language regarding the company’s approach to illegal content and chat privacy.

In response to one frequently asked question - “There’s illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down? - the website had previously provided the following answer, per an earlier 2024 snapshot from Wayback Machine: “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.”

However, the latest version of the Telegram FAQ instead responded to the same question with the following line: “All Telegram apps have ‘Report’ buttons that let you flag illegal content for our moderators — in just a few taps.”

This was followed by instructions for reporting the content. The reason for the update is not yet clear.

Instead, the sentence, “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them,” has been moved under another sub-heading.

Following Durov’s arrest in France over alleged criminal offences by others and the dissemination of illegal media on the Telegram platform, there are fears that the app might be restricted or banned in various regions.

Durov has claimed that he cannot be held directly responsible for such activities on his platform and that EU regulators should have reached out via official channels to the platform first, instead of detaining him.

Telegram’s content moderation style, described as “hands off” by many, has led to raised eyebrows amongst regulators, who worry it is becoming a useful communications hub for terrorists or other dangerous elements.

On the other hand, technologists supporting free speech—such as Edward Snowden and Elon Musk—called on France to release Durov.