The internet’s dark alleys Laissez-faire content moderation and illegal trade on Telegram

The popular chat app Telegram claims to not allow "activities which are recognised as illegal [in the EU]". Previous work has however shown a sizable presence of illegal content on the platform. In this chapter, I study how straightforward it is to find this problematic content, particularly Dutch-speaking channels in which trade of drugs, counterfeit documents, and other illegal goods is offered. Notwithstanding indications that moderation is slowly increasing, on the whole Telegram remains a lightly moderated platform. Actors are cognisant of this and operate a ‘Telegramsphere’ of illegal trade that is sizable (in terms of message volume), differentiated (with different channels having their own specific purpose), and connected (with links between channels as well as to other platforms).