After years of disregarding requests to join child protection programs, the messaging app Telegram has agreed to collaborate with an internationally recognized organization to combat the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to the BBC.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a tool used by major online platforms to identify and remove CSAM, will now assist Telegram in this effort.
Telegram had consistently declined to participate in the IWF or similar initiatives.
However, four months after Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s arrest in Paris for the platform’s alleged failure to moderate harmful content, Telegram has reversed its stance.
The IWF has hailed this decision as “transformational,” but cautioned that it marks just the beginning of a “much longer journey” for the platform.
“By joining the IWF, Telegram can begin deploying our world-leading tools to help make sure this material cannot be shared on the service,” said Derek Ray-Hill, Interim CEO at the IWF.