Pavel Durov makes Telegram profitable for the first time

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For the first time, Telegram earned over $1 billion in 2024 and paid off a large portion of its $2 billion debt.

Telegram, formerly an industry mystery for its inability to produce money, now has $500 million in cash reserves and over $1 billion in revenue for 2024, not including its crypto holdings. Financial success puts Telegram in a new level. Over 900 million people use the app.

Telegram’s new financial standing doesn’t ease the pressure. This year, French authorities accused Pavel with encouraging crimes on his website, including child sexual assault.

The accusations prompted Pavel to remain in France throughout the inquiry, shocking a guy who promotes freedom. Pavel said, “We’re making Telegram stronger, financially and technically,” ignoring his legal issues.

His problems are mounting swiftly. Governments worldwide have accused Telegram of promoting illicit activity and disinformation. Authorities in Moldova allege Telegram constituted the backbone of a Russia-backed destabilization campaign.

Conspiracy theories about devastating floods in Spain grew uncontrolled, saying the storm devastated farms. Telegram hid the genuine tragedy of over 150 deaths beneath deceptive headlines.

The U.S. is chaotic too. White nationalist organizations recruit on Telegram as “men-only combat clubs” and promote racist theories.

Civil rights organizations and scholars believe Telegram doesn’t monitor or promote information like Facebook or TikTok, enabling extremists. Instead, individuals can cross-post material across channels, spreading falsehoods.

This goes beyond content. Lack of encryption is a sticking issue. Telegram exclusively encrypts “secret chats.” WhatsApp and Signal automatically encrypt communications. Regular chats? Not so much.

Telegram’s encryption technique is proprietary, so security experts can’t evaluate its efficacy.

Telegram’s adaptability is its strength and weakness. Telegram is open, unlike networks that filter content by user behavior. Promote your far-right manifesto? No issue. Pro-Russian spin? That channel exists too.

Russian intelligence personnel allegedly recruited criminals for European sabotage operations on the network. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and ordinary Ukrainians use Telegram for battle updates.

Conspiracy theorists use the app too. Interconnected networks are luring Trump supporters into increasingly extremist political areas.

Telegram is difficult for law enforcement. Telegram runs from Dubai, out of reach of most countries, unlike Meta, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp and is subject to U.S. law.

The Kremlin sought to ban the app in 2018, but it failed spectacularly and lifted it two years later. Russia said Pavel promised to curb extremism on the site, but the truth is unclear.

French court battle against Pavel changed policy. Telegram now provides IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities, a major reversal from its previous denial. The firm detects and hides harmful material via AI and moderators.

Pavel announced intentions to monetize Telegram in 2020 to halt its zero-revenue record. In 2022, Telegram Premium charged users for quicker downloads, bigger file uploads, and other benefits.

Also Read: Afghanistan’s Taliban continue to engage in the trading of crypto memecoins

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