Telegram, new verification system to fight scams and misinformation

Telegram has announced the introduction of a new feature that allows official third-party services to assign verification icons to users and chats, as part of a broader effort to combat scams and misinformation on the platform. Unlike the existing verification process for public figures and organizations, which requires a blue checkmark, accounts and chats verified by third-party services will display a unique icon to the left of their name. By clicking on the profile of a chat or account verified by third parties, it will be possible to view the service that carried out the verification and the related reason.

For example, a verified account’s profile might say “Verified by the Learning Standards Authority for quality language teaching.” According to Telegram, only services that have an official bot verified by Telegram can apply to become third-party verifiers. This measure aims to “prevent scams and reduce misinformation”, in line with similar initiatives implemented by other social platforms.

This update comes just months after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested by French authorities on charges of allowing illegal activity on the platform. Since then, Telegram has updated its privacy policy, disabled “misused” features and changed its approach to content moderation. Durov also announced that Telegram achieved profitability last year, with total revenue exceeding $1 billion. In addition to the new verification system, Telegram also introduced new search filters to make it easier to locate specific chats, the ability to scan QR codes using the app’s built-in camera on iOS and Android, and a feature to turn digital gifts into NFTs.