New Limits on Poll Participation

In the source code for Telegram Desktop, there are lines of code that show the addition of tools to track and stop poll-rigging:

• The option to allow voting only for users who subscribed to the channel at least 24 hours ago.
• The ability to allow voting only to users from a selected country (or multiple countries).
• The ability to view poll statistics.

Let us remind you that in 2020, the Telegram team had already created polls in which the answer options were available only to users with Belarusian SIM cards.

It remains unclear, however, whether the platform will allow channel administrators to disable voting for subscribers who join the channel after a poll is posted or whether it will make the same mistake as with giveaways, where this option is also unavailable.

#Desktop #polls

British Regulator Ofcom Launches Investigation into Telegram

The British communications regulator Ofcom has launched an investigation into Telegram regarding its compliance with obligations to combat illegal content under the local Online Safety Act 2023.

According to Reuters, the investigation was prompted by data from the Canadian Centre for Child Protection regarding the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the platform, as well as the regulator's own assessment.

If violations are found, platforms could face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of their global turnover.

Telegram's Position

• The messenger "categorically" denies Ofcom's accusations.
• The company claims that since 2018, the public distribution of CSAM on the platform has been "virtually eliminated" thanks to the work of automatic detection algorithms.
• Telegram stated they are surprised by the investigation and concerned that it might be "part of a broader attack on online platforms that defend freedom ​of speech and the ​right to privacy".
• A day earlier, Pavel Durov noted that "protecting children" has become a standard PR move for lawmakers to gain control over media narratives.

Context

This is not Telegram's first clash with regulators over CSAM. In February 2025, the Australian regulator eSafety fined the messenger $600,000 for delaying a response to a similar request. In response, the company abandoned its usual passive stance, moved to active legal defense, and sued Australia, challenging the legality of the fine.

At the end of 2024, Telegram officially agreed to cooperate with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) — one of the key organizations maintaining CSAM signature databases. Our team has also extensively analyzed Telegram's internal moderation processes based on reports for eSafety: the disclosed documents reveal that photos and videos in all private groups and channels on the platform are automatically scanned against known illegal materials.

Recently, the UK has been consistently ramping up pressure on social media. Earlier this year, to comply with local legislation, Telegram already had to launch an experimental facial age verification system for British users.

It is worth noting that in recent years, under the banner of child protection, European countries have been increasingly pushing requirements that could violate privacy of communications and live. For example, due to requirements from this same Ofcom, Apple was forced to disable E2E encryption for iCloud backups, and the European Union is developing the EU Chat Control law, which is similar to the British OSA in its invasiveness.

#UK #moderation #laws

Telegram is Making Business Bots Available to All Users

The beta version of Telegram for iOS 12.6.4 (32843) allows to add a business bot to an account without needing a Premium subscription.

Since Telegram Business was launched in 2024, this feature was available only to users with a Premium subscription. This feature can be enabled in the “Profile > Edit > Chat Automation” section.

Telegram recently allowed bots to communicate with each other, enabling the possibility of building complex automated workflows.

#iOS

New Limits on Polls

The beta version of Telegram for iOS 12.6.4 (32843),now includes tools to prevent cheating in polls.

What is known:

• The possibility of vote manipulation by bots is greatly decreased by channel administrators' ability to limit voting to users who subscribed more than 24 hours ago.

• It is now possible to set geographic restrictions for polls—voting can be made available only to users from a selected country or several countries.

#iOS

Deleting Spam Bot Reactions

The beta version of Telegram for iOS 12.6.4 (32843), has been found to include a feature Pavel Durov previously announced to combat spam bots via reactions.

How it works:
If you press and hold a reaction below a message, Telegram offers to block the user and also lets you delete all of their messages and reactions in the chat. Bots with group chat admin permissions will have similar abilities through the Bot API.

#iOS #reactions

Creating Custom Styles for the AI Editor

It has been discovered in the Beta version of Telegram for iOS 12.6.4 (32843) that it is possible to create custom styles for the AI editor.

How it works:
The user clicks “Create Style,” chooses a name, selects an icon from the custom emojis, and writes instructions for the neural network.

After creating the style, it is possible to copy the link and share it. Additionally, it is possible to choose whether to include a link to the creator's profile.

The style cannot currently be fully created because the feature is probably disabled on the server.

#iOS

Telegram Beta Android 12.6.5 (6703)

Changelog:

- memory leak fixes, spoilers rendering optimizations
- suggestions in search field (bugs.telegram.org/c/61045, 10👍)
- dont make app pop up after missed call (bugs.telegram.org/c/45101, 7👍)
- fix viewing public profile video, no videos in profile photo privacy page (bugs.telegram.org/c/23708, 4👍)
- story button in groups (bugs.telegram.org/c/37305, 1👍)
- fixed no folders on external share (bugs.telegram.org/c/59595)
- support input(Peer)UserFromMessage, input(Peer)ChannelFromMessage (bugs.telegram.org/c/60850)
- fix formatting in search results (bugs.telegram.org/c/61093)
- attach button in stories, too (bugs.telegram.org/c/56572), fix glitch closing video story
- fixed avatars in live locations view (bugs.telegram.org/c/44640)
- fix sending thumb inside music document, show cover from local music file in music attach
- show profile and shared music in audio attach, while not searching
- support webpage preview in miniapps sharing
- fix topic icon cut in profile

#Android #apk