Z-Library's Content Partially Removed from Telegram Due to Copyright Issues
Brook.X
The official Telegram channel of the well-known digital library Z-Library had some of its content removed. Yesterday, Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov announced the addition of a human moderation team to handle problematic content, though it's unclear if these two events are directly related.
Z-Library is popular among book enthusiasts for downloading e-books, but it's undeniable that many of the contents hosted on Z-Library are copyrighted materials, essentially pirated. The pirated content might also be part of what Telegram is addressing.
The removed messages currently display: "This message cannot be displayed on your device due to copyright infringement." The message was posted on September 9, 2024, and did not contain infringing content itself but included a link to the Z-Library user login page.
Telegram has not disclosed who requested the message's removal, but it is likely copyright holders or U.S. law enforcement agencies, given that Telegram is unlikely to remove infringing content proactively without a complaint.
Z-Library has also noted this situation. In an official announcement, Z-Library stated:
"Recently, Telegram has been blocking posts containing links to our library. Therefore, we want to remind you of where you can find the actual links." (The announcement ends with the address of the English Wikipedia, as Wikipedia enthusiasts regularly update it with the latest and real addresses to Z-Library, and Wikipedia links are not blocked by Telegram.)
Of course, Telegram only deletes posts containing the links. Users posting the real addresses of Z-Library in the comment sections and the channel's description containing the real addresses have not been blocked.
Considering Z-Library's mention of "recently," it's possible that this is the result of the new human moderation team formed by Telegram. Since Z-Library links can be deleted, it's likely that posts containing other copyrighted materials will also be removed in the future.
