A recent study shared exclusively with the BBC has uncovered some questionable findings about the social media platform Telegram. The app which is famed for its secretive features, is reportedly using an algorithm that promotes extremist content, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
The SPLC’s report further revealed that Telegram’s “similar channels” feature, launched last year, recommends extremist channels even to users browsing for celebrities or technology. This disclosure has raised serious concerns about the platform’s role in spreading harmful content.
Telegram on the other hand, has maintained that users are “only presented with content they have chosen to engage with” and further made claims that it removes millions of pieces of harmful content daily. But seeing as the company’s founder, Russian billionaire Pavel Durov, is under formal investigation in France for allegedly failing to stop criminal activity on his platform, can the app’s claims really be believed?
Note that Durov has denied these allegations.
What This Means
A lead researcher at SPLC, Megan Squires had emphasised the algorithm’s impact by searching for “Donald Trump” on a newly set-up Telegram account. According to her findings, the “similar channels” recommendations immediately included multiple channels promoting the Q-Anon conspiracy, which baselessly claims that Trump is fighting a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles.
Another search for “UK riots” produced a meme about Adolf Hitler as the first result, followed by suggestions for channels run by violent far-right groups.
“Some of these groups are pretty active. You’re not just on Telegram getting memes; you’re getting shuffled into actual events,” Squires had said.
Why It Matters
In the aftermath of the Southport knife attack in August, which led to riots, Telegram users were among the first to call for protests and spread false claims about the suspected attacker being an asylum seeker.
Squires has further described Telegram as a “digital threat,” stating, “On a scale of one to 10, Telegram I would say is an 11. It’s dishing out enormous amounts of criminal content, extremist content. It is extremely dangerous in my opinion.”
What They’re Saying
Elies Campo, a former employee who was part of Telegram’s inner circle for seven years, told Panorama that he had challenged Durov about extreme material in 2021.
According to Campo, “His stance was it’s not up to a platform like us to decide who should be speaking out. It was clear that he didn’t want to dedicate more resources to it.”
In another expert analysis, Prof. David Maimon from Georgia State University, who has spent six years studying illegal content on Telegram, spotlighted the platform’s importance and value for criminals, saying,
“Telegram is definitely one of the most important platforms criminals are using now for criminality,” he said.
Prof. Maimon further narrated how quickly he could find a seller for an Uzi and a shotgun, with the seller promising fast delivery to Belfast (his location).
