imagine being added to 82 illegal groups without your consent this is the Dark Side of telegram hi I'm Joe tidy a cyber correspondent for the BBC let me take you on a journey through the underbelly of telegram it all started 9 months ago when I was researching a story and got added to a large telegram Channel selling drugs soon I found myself in groups about hacking and stolen credit cards my settings allowed anyone to add me to their channels within months I was part of 82 different groups each more shocking than the last I changed my settings but the damage was done thousands of new messages flooded in from these illegal groups the arrest of telegram's billionaire CEO in France has sparked a debate about the app's moderation policies pav durov faces charges for allowing illicit transactions drug trafficking and the spread of child abuse images on his platform this isn't just a telegram issue it's a broader problem that law enforcement has been worried about for years let me give you a glimpse into some of these groups card swipers with 15,700 members sells stolen credit cards and ships worldwide drugs Gardens official with over 9,000 members sells marijuana and illegal Vapes complete with customer reviews memories and drugs offers almost every drug imaginable with vendors in cities all over the world Contraband Network shares advice and sells everything from prescription drugs to stolen credit cards and guns gift cards Forum with over 23,000 members sells fake vouchers for major companies like Amazon and apple New Dawn Market a smaller group sells hacking tutorials malicious software and stolen passports cyber Security Experts describe telegram as the dark web in your pocket a Haven for criminal activity the dark web requires specialist software but telegram makes it accessible to anyone with a smartphone even notorious hacker groups like chileen use telegram to publish stolen Data before their dark websites despite claims of proactive moderation telegram's response to Illegal content is often criticized as inadequate moderation is only part of the problem telegram's approach to police requests for evidence is another major issue as the debate rages on the question remains can telegram balance privacy and freedom of speech with the need for security stay tuned [Music]