Telegram is the free instant messaging app that’s conquering the world at an impressive speed of 1.5 million new user sign-ups per day. It is the most downloaded social media application in over 20 countries and a major new source of pirated content.

Telegram piracy proliferates very fast, overlooked by many rights holders that focus on established social media platforms. Telegram resembles the wild west of piracy, where everything is possible. Any content can be found, pirated, consumed, and exchanged immediately, consequence-free for distributors.

Telegram is available on mobile devices on Google Play and AppStore, via web browsers, and desktop. In such multi-platform modes, users can exchange countless copyrighted files on public channels or chats or store pirated content privately by leveraging free cloud storage.

• 400,000,000 active monthly users as of April 2020
• #5 Messaging App across the globe
• Most popular in India, Brazil, Russia, Italy, Iran
• Over 220,000 groups and channels
• “Hindi HD Movies” is the most popular channel on Telegram, drawing in 6.1 million subscribers seeking free pirated film content

The vast amount of pirated content fully available on Telegram is drawing in an exponential amount of views and downloads. The top 10 channels across Telegram have a combined user base of more than 120 million subscribers. Video and movie channels are among the top-rated channels and a primary source of piracy on Telegram.

On public channels and chats, users can publish posts containing the following:

• Full videos to watch inside the App via embedded file readers
• Files ready for download
• Links redirecting to other pirate sites and platforms

Telegram coverage is challenging given the complexity of the detection and enforcement strategies to be applied. At WebKontrol, we employ the most effective tactics to fight piracy on Telegram:

• Detection-based on special search features
• Multi-lingual approach
• Multi-platform enforcement
• Scanning conducted across a complete database of channels and bots containing illegal content

The database includes channels, bots, and groups for media and sports.