logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2024
17m 40s

The arrest of Telegram’s founder, and wh...

The Guardian
About this episode
The arrest of Telegram’s founder and CEO in Paris last month has thrown the spotlight on the messaging app and its approach to content moderation. Madeleine Finlay hears from Russian affairs reporter Pjotr Sauer and technology journalist Alex Hern about how the case could influence how social media companies approach problematic content on their platforms. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
Up next
Yesterday
Texas floods and forecasting cuts: a sign of things to come?
In the days since the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country, speculation has grown about whether cuts to US weather agencies may have contributed to the the number of casualties. Ian Sample talks to the meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus to find out whether this ... Show More
16m 49s
Jul 8
Microplastics, blood cleaning and Orlando Bloom
The actor recently posted a photo of himself undergoing a £10,000 procedure at a London clinic that claims to remove microplastics, forever chemicals and herbicides from the blood. But how settled is the science around the health risks of microplastics? To find out, Ian Sample sp ... Show More
15m 58s
Jul 3
Why British women are freezing their eggs abroad
The number of women choosing to freeze their eggs has increased sharply, according to figures from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The number deciding to embark on the process abroad also appears to be rising. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian ... Show More
18m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Billionaire Telegram CEO charged in criminal investigation
On Wednesday, Telegram founder Pavel Durov was charged in France with a wide range of crimes related to illicit activity on the app. His detainment is part of an ongoing investigation by French authorities into the social media app.  Telegram, with its more than 900 million users ... Show More
27m 52s
Sep 2024
What's Behind the Arrest of the Telegram CEO?
Pavel Durov, the CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France last month. He was charged with a host of crimes, including complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software on the app. Matthew Dalton reports on how the charges represent ... Show More
21m 43s
Feb 2025
How Westminster goes viral (without Elon Musk)
For years, Westminster has been addicted to Twitter (now called X). Host Sascha O'Sullivan looks at how the site – and SW1's reliance on it – has changed since tech billionaire Elon Musk took over. Sascha talks to Charlie Peters, journalist at GB News, whose story about grooming ... Show More
46m 39s
Jan 2025
A new Facebook for the era of President Trump
Factchecker Jesse Stiller and technology journalist Chris Stokel-Walker explore why Mark Zuckerberg has announced dramatic changes to Meta’s social platforms, and what they will mean for their 3.3 billion users. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus 
35m 47s
Aug 2024
Telegram Founder Arrested in France
Tommy and Ben discuss Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s arrest in France, the debate over free speech, social media, and CEO accountability, as well as why the Russian government finds the app so useful. They also talk about strikes between Hezbollah and Israel and the lonely optimi ... Show More
1h 30m
Jan 2025
Quand Mark Zuckerberg enterre le fact checking
Une annonce fracassante de Mark Zuckerberg ! Le patron de Meta a décidé de renoncer au fact-checking sur ses réseaux sociaux Facebook et Instagram. Fini les vérifications par des journalistes indépendants, désormais ce sera la communauté des utilisateurs qui jugera de la véracité ... Show More
3m 18s
Sep 2024
How Telegram Became the Underworld’s Favorite App
A Times investigation has found that Telegram, one of the world’s biggest messaging apps, with nearly a billion users, is also a giant black market and gathering place for the likes of terrorists and white supremacists.Adam Satariano, a technology reporter for The Times, discusse ... Show More
25m 45s
Sep 2024
The Telegram case: Pavel Durov
The FT’s Innovation editor John Thornhill and San Francisco tech correspondent Hannah Murphy have in the past both met and interviewed Pavel Durov, the secretive founder of Telegram who was arrested in France for alleged failure to address criminality on the messaging app. In the ... Show More
34m 52s
Apr 2023
The toxic threat to journalism in Lebanon
Lara Bitar, a Lebanese journalist, has been reporting on the toxic waste that’s been in Lebanon since the country’s civil war – reporting that took on a new meaning in the wake of Beirut’s 2020 port explosion. This March, she and another journalist were summoned by the government ... Show More
19m 52s
Jan 2025
Musk, Zuckerberg and Free Speech
The billionaire owner of X has made misleading claims about Keir Starmer’s handling of the grooming gangs scandal and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has announced the end of independent fact-checking on Meta’s platforms in the US. The move comes as Zuckerberg and other tech executives ... Show More
49m 22s