After years of ignoring pleas to sign up to child protection schemes, the controversial messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognised body to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is used by major online services to help them detect and remove CSAM, and prevent its spread.

Telegram had repeatedly refused to engage with it or any similar scheme.

But, four months after its founder Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris for Telegram’s alleged failure to moderate extreme content, the platform has announced a U-turn.

The IWF has described Telegram’s decision as “transformational” but warned it was the first step in a “much longer journey” for the app.

“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.

‘Dark web in your pocket’

Telegram is used by around 950 million people worldwide and has previously positioned itself as an app focussed on its users’ privacy rather than the policy norms prioritised by other global social media companies.

But reporting from the BBC and other news organisations highlighted criminals using the app to advertise drugs as well as offer cybercrime and fraud services and, most recently, CSAM.

It led one expert to brand it “the dark web in your pocket.”

In August, its billionaire owner was detained at an airport north of Paris.

Mr Durov is accused of a failure to co-operate with law enforcement over drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.

French judges have barred the 40-year-old from leaving France pending further investigations.

The company maintains that his arrest is unfair, and that he should not be held liable for what users do on the platform.

Nonetheless, Telegram has since announced a series of changes to the way it operates, including:

• Announcing IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate its rules will be handed over to police in response to valid legal requests
• Disabling features like “people nearby” which it admitted had issues with bots and scammers
• Publishing regular transparency reports about how much content is taken down – a standard industry practice it had previously refused to comply with

Mr Durov has also vowed to “turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise”.

The partnership with the IWF appears to be the latest step in that process.

The IWF is one of a few organisations in the world that is legally able to search for child sexual content to get it taken down.

Its ever-evolving list of known abuse content is used by websites to detect and block matches to stop it spreading.

Telegram says that before becoming a member of IWF it removed hundreds of thousands of pieces of abuse material each month using its own systems. The IWF membership will strengthen its mechanisms, the company said.

The app is marketed as a fully end-to-end encrypted messaging service – meaning only the sender and recipient of a message can read it – like WhatsApp and Signal.

But in fact the majority of communication is done with standard encryption, raising questions about how secure from hacking and interception it is.

Mr Durov, who was born in Russia and now lives in Dubai, has citizenship in Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis.

Telegram is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Union states as well as Iran. KBC

Tension and drama flared up at the General Court Martial in Makindye today as supporters of Col Dr Kizza Besigye attempted to 'free' him from detention. 

Besigye and Abeid Lutaale are facing charges of unlawful possession of firearms after they were kidnapped from Nairobi, Kenya and brought back to Uganda by Ugandan army operatives. However, their appearance before the army court was delayed by over four hours largely due to the defense team's inability to access the court premises. 

Lawyers comprising Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Kenyan lawyer Martha Karua as lead counsel, Samuel Muyizi Mulindwa, Eron Kiiza, and Nalukoola Luyimbazi were denied access to court premises by soldiers.   

Lukwago had submitted a list of 35 lawyers contracted to defend Besigye and Lutaale, but some lawyers already inside were reportedly unaccounted for. The legal team also clashed with the soldiers over being barred from bringing their phones into court, which they argued were essential for accessing legal documents online.  

The standoff further escalated when soldiers returned from consultations with inconsistent rulings on phone usage in court. Tired of waiting and frustrated by the lack of progress, the lawyers retreated to a tree nearby, vowing to wait there until called.  

At this point, some supporters attempted to free Besigye during his transfer, leading to a scuffle with the army and the subsequent closure of the court gates. The session, initially scheduled as a mention, marked another chapter in Besigye's legal battles. 

Besigye, previously arraigned before the Court Martial in 2006 on charges of treason and rape—later dismissed—has consistently decried his trials as acts of political persecution. Since his presidential bid, he has faced numerous charges across various courts without any convictions.

Inside the courtroom, the session, chaired by Brig Robert Freeman Mugabe, addressed other cases while Besigye’s case was delayed due to the absence of his lead lawyers. Besigye, clad in a pink shirt and navy blue sweater, and Lutaale were briefly presented before being returned to their cells.  

Besigye's supporters expressed anger over the protracted process and called for Besigye's trial in civilian courts, dismissing the military court as a "kangaroo court."  

Karua was eventually granted entry, but Besigye’s supporters prevented her from proceeding, arguing that she, as a "bishop" should enter last. Complications arose when her assistant, who travelled with her from Kenya, was also denied entry, leading to further protests from the lawyers and supporters. By URN / The Observer

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has cautioned land owners to beware of land cartels targeting their lands with a view to obtain hefty sums of money using forged documents.

According to the DCI, the cartel’s main target are land owners in the upscale suburbs.

“To lower the risk of early detection and go whole hog with their fraudulence, the cartel’s main targets are the land owners entering into joint ventures with developers,” stated DCI.

In one recent incident involving a Pumwani-based resident, the victim could have lost his two parcels of land had a keen developer not sought the services of a thorough city advocate.

“However, the victim lost Ksh 553,550 to the cartel that posed as staff at the Nairobi County Lands Registry,” DCI confirmed.

One suspect, Lawrence Ochieng, who approached the victim with a promise to get him certificates of lease for both parcels of land was arrested and arraigned at Milimani Law Courts on Monday.

This was after Ochieng’s gang issued the victim with forged documents and obtained the stated amount of money.

The criminal enterprise sets in at a time when developers are approaching individuals with underdeveloped parcels of land, where the two parties agree on profitable terms for the development of the land.

“Occasionally, the agreement will require the land owner to obtain certificates of lease, which has become the soft spot for the fraudsters,” said DCI.

Even as probe into this grand scheme continues, land owners are cautioned to ensure due diligence whenever dealing with any land-related matters, given the emotive nature of land issues that often trigger regrettable consequences.

Notably, most of the suspects implicated in the case are renowned gold scammers, who have taken a break from that field and are testing the waters on this illicit venture.

“Luckily, they have been identified and the DCI Operations team is hot on their heels,” DCI reassured. By Mitchelle Akala, Capital News