Telegram adds third-party verification, enhanced search filters

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Telegram has added a new update for the app and a new third-party account verification, as informed in a blog post. The concept is for a person or organization already on the Telegram list to vet other people, such as staff. “This decentralized platform for additional verification will help to combat fraud and misinformation—with a unique preventative measure that no other social platform employs,” Telegram said.

Individuals or groups that want to be able to verify others must already have an official bot verified by Telegram. Once that happens, they can apply to become a third-party verifier on Telegram. They’re also required to have a unique icon (simple and. minimalistic in a solid colour) that will appear next to the names of accounts they verify.

Any accounts verified in this way will have that logo next to their name, and opening their profile will show a detailed explanation of that status and what it means. The company emphasized that this type of verification is “completely separate” from its internal verification, and provided more details in a guide.

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Telegram also introduced new search filters that let you refine a list of results only from private chats, group chats or channels. It also added custom emojis for folder names, reactions for service messages and the ability to upgrade gifts to NFTs.

The company also announced that it reached profitability for the first time thanks to monetization features like Premium subscriptions, ads, Telegram Stars and more. Not all has been rosy for the company of late, though: In August last year, the founder of the chat app, Pavel Durov, was arrested over charges that the company hadn’t done enough to stop illegal activity on the app.