Telegram has found itself in the crosshairs of intense media scrutiny as its darker underbelly comes into sharper focus.
Recent developments paint a picture of a platform grappling with its reputation amid illicit activities, regulatory pressure, and a potential pivot toward a cleaner image — possibly in preparation for a U.S. IPO.
The messenger’s administration recently cracked down on online casinos, free spins, and other gambling projects operating within its ecosystem. One of the largest gambling outfits reportedly had a username valued at over a million dollars, though the true scale of these businesses remains a mystery.
This move signals a broader effort to curb illegal operations on the platform, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Researchers have uncovered what may be the world’s largest Chinese-language black markets for crypto-scam money laundering on Telegram, including Haowang Guarantee, which facilitated a staggering $27 billion in transactions, and Xinbi Guarantee, which raked in over $8 billion since 2022.
These marketplaces didn’t stop at laundering — they also peddled stolen data, offered harassment-for-hire, and engaged in sex trafficking. Following a WIRED inquiry, Telegram banned these platforms, but the damage to its reputation was already done.
What’s becoming increasingly clear — and increasingly uncomfortable for Telegram—is the growing public realization that these activities thrived on the platform for years with little to no intervention. The lack of action raises questions about the company’s priorities and oversight, especially as evidence mounts of Telegram’s role as a haven for everything from crypto scams to human trafficking.
The media narrative is shifting: Telegram isn’t just a privacy-focused app anymore; it’s a breeding ground for unchecked criminality.
So why the sudden push for a cleaner image? The most plausible explanation is Telegram’s rumored preparation for a U.S. IPO. Going public in the States demands a level of transparency and compliance that Telegram has historically sidestepped.
Cracking down on gambling and black markets could be a preemptive move to appease regulators and investors, but it also exposes the platform’s longstanding moderation failures.
Telegram’s lax oversight has made it a magnet for illicit activity, and a radical cleanup may be the only way to secure the financial future its founder, Pavel Durov, envisions.
In a bid to shift the narrative, Durov has launched a €50,000 contest for vertical videos highlighting “What Telegram Did Before WhatsApp.” It’s a transparent attempt to reframe Telegram as an innovator rather than a liability. The platform has even provided a curated list of its pioneering features for content creators to tout.
But let’s propose an alternative list — one that reflects the less savory “firsts” Telegram might not be eager to advertise:
- Channels for terrorist and extremist organizations, often operating with impunity.
- Chats dedicated to drug purchases, connecting buyers and sellers globally.
- Distribution of child pornography, a persistent issue on under-moderated platforms.
- Closed groups for investment advisors, tipsters, and scammers peddling fraudulent schemes.
- Account hijacking and resale, a thriving underground economy.
- Personal data breaches and doxxing services, exposing individuals to harm.
- Pirated, copyright-protected content shared freely across channels.
- Phishing operations targeting unsuspecting users with alarming frequency.
- Bot raids and AI-generated spam flooding groups and channels.
- Near-total lack of customer support, leaving users to fend for themselves—though WhatsApp might give Telegram a run for its money on that last one.
Durov’s contest may aim to polish Telegram’s image, but the platform’s history tells a different story. The media storm around its criminal undercurrents isn’t going away, and as Telegram eyes an IPO, it will need to confront these skeletons head-on.
Also read:
- French Prosecutors Deny Telegram Founder Pavel Durov’s Request to Travel to U.S. for Investment Talks
- Pavel Durov probably knows that the main source of income for Onlyfans models is paid personal messages
- TON Team Unveils Empire’s Battle: A Steampunk RPG Telegram Game with NFT and Tokenomics
Whether it can truly reinvent itself — or whether its past will drag it down — remains an open question. For now, the spotlight is on, and Telegram’s every move is under a microscope.
