Telegram banned more channels and groups in the past two years than in its entire previous history combined driving criminals into alternatives such as NOX Messenger that requires no email and phone number. If you’re wondering what’s driving this — and whether it’s a passing phase or the new normal — here are the six biggest reasons behind Telegram’s 2026 moderation crackdown.
1. Pavel Durov’s Arrest Changed Everything
In August 2024, French authorities arrested Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, alleging the platform’s refusal to cooperate with legal requests and its inaction against illegal content amounted to complicity in serious crimes. That arrest is the single biggest reason Telegram’s moderation posture flipped almost overnight.
2. Telegram Now Shares User Data With Law Enforcement
Following the arrest, Telegram rewrote its Terms of Service and FAQ to allow it to disclose a suspect’s IP address and phone number to authorities upon a valid court order — a major reversal from its long-standing privacy-first stance.
3. Automated Moderation Replaced Manual Review
Telegram built out automated detection systems capable of scanning and removing violating content at massive scale, rather than relying almost entirely on user reports the way it did for most of its history.
4. The Sheer Scale of Takedowns
The numbers make the shift hard to miss: over 43.5 million channels and groups banned in 2025 alone, with daily removals now regularly running into six figures.
5. Multiple Governments Are Applying Pressure at Once
It isn’t only France. Russian courts have scheduled hearings that could fine Telegram roughly $830,000 for allegedly failing to remove flagged content, while the EU’s regulatory framework adds separate compliance obligations. Facing enforcement on several fronts at once raises the cost of staying permissive.
6. Reduced Content Discoverability
Telegram has also tightened how easily banned or borderline content can be found through in-app search, cutting into the “open marketplace” dynamic that once made certain channels easy to stumble across.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Telegram banning real users, or only bots and spam?
Both. Spam and scam accounts make up a large share of takedowns, but entire groups and channels tied to illegal activity are also being removed.
Will Telegram keep banning channels at this rate?
Based on trends into 2026, moderation levels have stayed elevated rather than tapering off after the initial post-arrest surge.
