Telegram will not delete any publications or channels of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the messenger's founder Pavel Durov has said. According to him, such information can be useful for saving people.
"Hamas used Telegram to warn civilians in Ashkelon to leave the area before rocket attacks," Durov recalled. "Although it would be easy for us to destroy this source of information, by doing so we risk aggravating an already difficult situation.
Durov added that, unlike other platforms, Telegram does not promote shocking content using algorithms: users see only what they have subscribed to. In this regard, the messenger can hardly be used to aggressively promote propaganda, he said.
In turn, the American company Meta has announced that it will start cleaning up Hamas posts on Facebook and Instagram, which it owns. In addition, publications in support of the group will be removed.
The company condemned Hamas' attack on Israel and reminded that the US government considers the movement a terrorist organization.
"This means that Hamas is banned from our platforms, and we are removing content praising and supporting it," Meta said in a statement.
Background. Twitter deleted several hundred Hamas-related accounts after the European Commission's ultimatum. Earlier, the European Commissioner said that Elon Musk's platform was being used to spread banned content and disinformation.