The arrest and subsequent indictment on August 28 of Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, by the French courts, has caused a stir in the tech world. Some are pleased to see him forced to answer to the judges, others are alarmed about the future of the creature he created, half social network, half messaging service. However, there is one place where Pavel Durov’s misfortunes have hardly changed daily life: Telegram. In the most sordid groups on the platform, drug sales and scams continue to be organized. L’Express was able to consult different channels where, despite the fate of the boss, traffickers chase away the customer, groups of several thousand people share revenge porn and conspiracy theorists continue their disinformation campaign.
On the channels that L’Express has infiltrated, few Internet users are worried about the future of the platform, or about a tightening of moderation. This is business as usual. In a group of more than 1,500 members, the seller boasts of offering the “best fake notes” and of being “Number 1 on the market in Europe”. He claims that his notes have the same papers, the same lighting effects and the same reliefs as real euros, and are difficult to trace thanks to different serial numbers.
Drugs, counterfeit money and shotguns
Four days after Pavel Durov’s arrest, the seller was still offering 5,000 euros in counterfeit notes for 250 euros. The offer was accompanied by images showing thick bundles of 20 and 50 euros. In another group of 5,000 users, a seller is offering fake credit cards, which he claims can be used to illegally withdraw several thousand euros.
The trafficking on Telegram continues. Drug dealers and counterfeit banknotes are promoting themselves on Pavel Durov’s messenger.
© / Aurore Gayte for L’Express
There are also still many weapons for sale on Telegram. In a group with 1,500 members, an Arsenal Firearms Strike One Mark 2 semi-automatic pistol, with a caliber of 9x19mm, was put up for auction for 850 euros. The seller also offered hunting rifles, at 1,200 euros each. A few days later, on August 28, the same seller presented new weapons, among which L’Express was able to identify a Glock 48 FS and other semi-automatic handguns.
A third type of trafficking is plaguing Telegram: drug trafficking. Unlike the sale of weapons and counterfeit bills, which takes place in closed groups to which you have to be invited, drug trafficking takes place almost in broad daylight, thanks to a feature called “Nearby”, accessible to everyone. It connects geolocated users in the same area and allows them to talk to each other physically, without having to exchange information or phone numbers.
Telegram initially presented it as a function to make friends or chat with neighbors. But it was quickly hijacked by dealers. By activating the option, the majority of profiles we see are those of traffickers, openly offering cocaine, cannabis, MD, heroin, and even GHB – the “date rape drug”.
L’Express did the test and found that it only takes a few seconds to find reseller profiles. Several indicated that they made deliveries. This huge market, reported for several years by Internet users, has never been closed by Telegram.
Pornographic and conspiracy content
The network also fails in moderating groups sharing revenge porn and other types of pornographic content. L’Express has accessed several channels where stolen intimate photos are explicitly exchanged. Others offer videos taken by hidden cameras, without the knowledge of the women appearing in the footage. These groups, made up of several tens of thousands of people, have been known to Telegram services for several years. Their existence has been revealed in several investigations and by victims who have made removal requests or reports to Telegram, without anything ever being done.
Channels set up by some conspiracy groups have become more agitated after Pavel Durov’s arrest. Silvano Trotta, one of France’s most popular conspiracy theorists, followed by more than 151,000 people on Telegram, shared several messages about it. Another group of thousands of QAnon followers sees the case as proof of the veracity of its delusional conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron is a trans woman. At the time L’Express was able to consult these channels, none of the users seemed to fear that the platform’s moderation would actually increase, and no one suggested changing services.
Yet it is largely because of these groups that the messaging service is in the justice system’s sights. Despite requests for moderation, removal of content and cooperation in drug trafficking or child pornography cases, Pavel Durov has almost always refused to provide information on users. Reassured by the anonymity promised by the platform, many groups have recreated a kind of dark web bis, more easily accessible, very versatile and active.
As Julien Nocetti, a specialist in the Russian Internet, explained to L’Express, Telegram has, since its inception, “been prized by terrorist groups, particularly jihadists, to raise funds and spread propaganda.” Its popularity in criminal circles can be explained by the particular nature of the app. More than an encrypted messaging service, it allows you to create large discussion groups hosting up to 200,000 people, to buy cryptocurrencies, and acts as a marketplace. Traffic on Telegram seems to have a bright future ahead of it.
.