Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announces new features to the platform after arrest: Here’s what’s changing

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced new features to the platform. The changes come after his release from prison last week. Durov was arrested in France in August on charges of refusal to cooperate with law enforcement and complicity in managing an online platform “to enable an illegal transaction in an organized group.”
Announcing the new features via his official Telegram channel and on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote “ Today, we’re introducing new features while phasing out a few outdated ones.”

The platform has removed the People Nearby feature which allowed users to see — and message — other users who were nearby.It has been replaced by Business Nearby to showcase legitimate, verified businesses.
The company has also disabled new media uploads to Telegraph – the blogging tool.

🎉 Telegram has reached 10 million paid subscribers. 10 million people are now enjoying Telegram Premium!
🆕 Today, we’re introducing new features while phasing out a few outdated ones.
⛔️ We’ve removed the People Nearby feature, which was used by less than 0.1% of Telegram users, but had issues with bots and scammers.
🛍 In its place, we will be launching “Businesses Nearby”, showcasing legitimate, verified businesses. These businesses will be able to display product catalogs and accept payments seamlessly.
✂️ We’ve also disabled new media uploads to Telegraph, our standalone blogging tool, which seems to have been misused by anonymous actors.
☝️ While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk.
✊ That’s why this year we are committed to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise.