Fighting Piracy on Telegram

The global cost of illegal content distribution continues to rise, with online video piracy alone causing an estimated revenue leakage of $75 billion annually for the media and entertainment industry*. As digital consumption evolves, so do the methods of unauthorized content sharing with piracy networks becoming more adaptive and sophisticated.

Since its launch in 2013, Telegram has grown to become one of the most influential platforms in the digital landscape. As of July 2024, the cloud-based messaging app boasts 950 million monthly active users worldwide, making it one of the most downloaded platforms globally. Its unmatched versatility allows users to host streams, create groups of up to 200,000 members, and share files features that make it a celebrated communication tool for millions.

However, these same features also create opportunities for misuse. Telegram has increasingly become a hub for piracy, where copyrighted materials are distributed at scale with relative ease. For many IP owners, Telegram is still perceived as a harmless messaging app rather than a platform that poses a significant threat to intellectual property. This misconception has allowed piracy to flourish unchecked, leading to financial losses, reduced audience engagement and redirection of traffic from legitimate channels to illegal ones.

Piracy on Telegram is rampant, representing a direct and undeniable threat to creative industries. From significant box office revenue losses to the dilution of intellectual property value, the stakes are too high to ignore. Anti-piracy measures must be reinforced to combat this growing challenge—no longer an option.

Combating piracy on Telegram is challenging but entirely feasible. While some perceive it as an unaddressable issue or a complex, time-consuming process with limited effectiveness, strategic solutions can yield meaningful results.  The platform's dynamic nature, coupled with its sheer scale, makes combating piracy a complex endeavor.

Yet the solution lies in taking strategic and timely action. Swift intervention is critical to minimizing the damage caused by piracy, as each unaddressed infringement represents a missed opportunity to protect intellectual property and its associated value.

In this article, we explore the intricacies of piracy on Telegram and how DigiGuardians has risen to meet this challenge head-on. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and maintaining a steadfast commitment to protecting intellectual property, DigiGuardians is at the forefront of combating illegal content distribution, ensuring that creators and copyright holders can focus on what they do best creating.

A Close Look at the Issue of Piracy on Telegram

Telegram’s extensive feature set, while designed to enhance user experience, creates opportunities for piracy to thrive.

The platform offers a wide array of capabilities, such as unlimited cloud storage, support for large groups and channels, and even multi-device access. With the introduction of Telegram Premium, users can share files of up to 4GB, lifting media download speed limits for subscribers. These features, while empowering legitimate users, also make Telegram an attractive hub for distributing pirated content.

Telegram’s Instant View pages, which are cached on Telegram’s servers for near-instant loading, further add to its appeal. Unlike traditional content distribution platforms that require moderation or approval processes, Telegram allows anyone to publish content instantly, bypassing review mechanisms and making the platform especially susceptible to misuse.

How Do Pirates Exploit Telegram’s Features?

Pirates take advantage of Telegram's functionalities in several ways, leveraging its open architecture and accessibility:

Public Channels: Public channels, designed for broadcasting messages to large audiences, are a preferred method for distributing pirated material. These channels are open, easily searchable, and can reach thousands of users at once.

Private Channels: Invitation-only private channels provide an exclusive space for users to share pirated content discreetly, shielding such activities from detection.

File Sharing: With Telegram Premium, users can upload files up to 4GB, enabling the distribution of high-quality movies, TV shows, and other large digital content. This feature makes Telegram particularly appealing to those seeking to share premium pirated content.

Bots: Automated bots are frequently misused to provide users with links to pirated content or direct access to illegal streams. 

Groups: Telegram groups, which can host up to 200,000 members, are often used for interactive communication. Unfortunately, some groups are dedicated to distributing pirated content, further complicating enforcement efforts.

Persistent Challenge

Telegram’s platform design allows those sharing illegal content to remain agile. When a pirated URL is removed from one channel, it doesn’t guarantee the problem is resolved; new leaks can emerge or similar content may resurface through alternative channels or accounts. This cyclical nature of piracy on Telegram highlights the ongoing challenge of containment, requiring constant vigilance and proactive measures.

Based on the projects DigiGuardians has protected, over 40% of all identified infringements originated from Telegram. To date, we have successfully removed more than 381,000 pirated copies from the platform. This not only underscores our role in combating piracy but also reflects the magnitude of the issue as evidenced by the results we’ve achieved.

It necessitates proactive intervention—strategically designed and precisely executed—to address these issues effectively.

From the outset, we recognized that effectively combating piracy on Telegram would require a proactive and adaptive approach, one that goes beyond surface-level interventions. The platform's role in accelerating piracy consumption and becoming a central hub for illegal content sharing was inevitable, driven by high user demand and ease of use.

DigiGuardians: Proactive Solutions

DigiGuardians anticipated this shift early on, leveraging insights into how piracy behaviors evolve on Telegram, where even established pirate sites began creating channels to distribute content.

At the core of DigiGuardians’ strategy is our ability to emulate the behavior of a genuine Telegram user. By acting as an expert internet user, our system detects and removes infringing content, mimicking organic usage patterns to navigate Telegram’s environment effectively.

Our efforts extend beyond detection. Recognizing the importance of building effective partnerships, we focused on optimizing takedown processes. By becoming a trusted partner on Telegram, our consistent and rule-compliant approach to submitting takedown requests has fostered credibility and collaboration over time. This trust, developed through systematic and transparent efforts, forms the backbone of our success in removing infringing content promptly and efficiently. In some cases, takedowns happen within seconds, and most are addressed as quickly as possible, typically within one to two days.

Contrary to the misconception of “one-click” solutions, our takedown process is powered by years of expertise, automated systems and most critically, a dedicated team that performs thorough searches and monitoring. Our approach combines technology with human oversight, ensuring that every piece of infringing content is traced to its source and addressed with precision.

By taking Telegram piracy seriously long before it became a widespread concern, DigiGuardians established itself in addressing these unique challenges. Our collaborative efforts and commitment to effective process management have not only enhanced our takedown speed but also solidified our ability to deliver effective results for rights holders.