Britain’s Ofcom regulator said Tuesday it had launched an investigation into whether the Telegram messenger service is “complying with its duty to prevent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) being shared”.
The media watchdog said it was investigating the “alleged presence and sharing” of CSAM on the messenger service co-founded by Russian-born entrepreneur Pavel Durov.
Durov was arrested in France in 2014 and is under formal investigation by French authorities.
Telegram said in a statement sent to AFP that it “categorically denies Ofcom’s accusations”, adding that since 2018 it has “virtually eliminated the public spread of CSAM on its platform”.
It said it was “surprised by the investigation and “concerned that it may be part of a broader attack on online platforms that defend freedom of speech and the right to privacy”.
The British regulator has powers to impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s worldwide revenue.
Ofcom said that it had “gathered evidence” from its “own assessment of the platform” and from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a charity dedicated to children’s safety.
Telegram messaging service says it has more than one billion monthly active users worldwide.
Ofcom said it was also investigating two teen chat sites “over concerns predators are using them to groom children”.
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