Unlike Meta And X, Telegram Will Not Remove Content Related To Israel Hamas

JAKARTA - Some social media such as X, Meta, and TikTok firmly deal with content that has the potential to incite and spread disinformation related to Israel - Hamas on its platform.

However, the steps taken by the tech giants appear to be different from the steps taken by Telegram's online messaging service.

Through its official channel on Telegram, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has openly said that it will not remove sensitive content related to war on its platform, arguing that the application is proven to be an important information channel.

"In the early hours of this week, Hamas used Telegram to warn civilians in Ashkelon to leave the area before their missile attack occurred. Will closing their channels help save lives - or instead endanger more lives?" Durov wrote.

Durov himself admitted that he was often tempted to act on emotional impulses. However, he believes that in such complex situations, it requires careful consideration which must also consider differences between social platforms.

"Unlike other apps that algorithmically promote surprising content to suspicious people, on Telegram, users only receive their subscription content specifically," Durov explained further.

"Therefore, it is unlikely that the Telegram channel could be used to significantly strengthen propaganda. Instead, they serve as a unique direct source of information for researchers, journalists, and fact-checkers," he added.

According to him, although it was very easy for Telegram to destroy the source of the information, he felt the action was at risk of exacerbating the already dire situation.

On the other hand, three days after the attack, Meta took decisive steps by removing glorification content and substantial support for Hamas from its platform.

In addition, X CEO Linda Yaccarino also firmly said that X continues to strive to address the issue of disinformation related to Israel - Hamas quickly. He stressed that platform X strongly opposes terrorist movements or groups of extremism on its platform.