Telegram to drop ‘people nearby’ feature and improve moderation

Pavel Durov said the feature – which has had issues with bots and scammers – would be replaced

The chief executive of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has announced the messaging app will improve moderation on the platform and has removed some features that have been used for illegal activity.

The app’s founder unveiled the changes on Friday hours after calling his arrest by the French authorities last month “misguided”. Durov has since been charged with allegedly allowing criminal activity on the app.