Telegram, the popular messaging app, has announced that it will now share user data with authorities when requested in criminal investigations. This marks a significant change for the platform, which had previously been known for its strong privacy protections and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement in most cases.
Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, stated that the company will disclose users’ IP addresses and phone numbers if they are suspected of violating the platform’s rules. This policy change applies worldwide and is meant to prevent criminal activity from continuing on the app. Durov emphasized that these changes are necessary to stop bad actors from abusing Telegram’s services. He said the platform should be a place for people to connect and discover news, not for illegal activities.
Previously, Telegram had only agreed to share user data in cases involving suspected terrorism, and that had never occurred. Now, the app will respond to any valid legal requests for information, as long as the company can confirm that the person is involved in criminal activities. The company plans to include these data-sharing activities in transparency reports that will be released periodically.
This decision comes after Durov was arrested in France and charged with complicity in a variety of crimes, including the distribution of child pornography, drug trafficking, and money laundering. Authorities allege that criminals used Telegram to conduct illegal business, and when they requested data from the platform, Durov refused to comply. After being held in police custody for several days, Durov was released on bail but remains under judicial supervision as the investigation continues.
Telegram’s reputation has come under scrutiny because of these allegations, and Durov’s arrest has raised concerns globally. Governments and security researchers have pointed out that illegal activities, such as organizing by extremist groups and selling illegal goods, have been rampant on the platform. In response, some countries, like Ukraine, have banned the use of Telegram by government workers and military personnel, citing national security concerns.
To tackle these issues, Telegram has also updated its search feature to make it harder for users to find illegal goods or harmful content. The company has implemented artificial intelligence to monitor and remove problematic content, and users can now report illegal search terms through a special bot, which a moderation team will review.
Durov has acknowledged that Telegram’s rapid growth—now reaching nearly one billion users—has made it more difficult to control criminal activity on the platform. He expressed his commitment to making Telegram a safer place and promised that the new changes will help improve security and stop abuse.
In the face of these challenges, Durov and Telegram are under pressure to show that they can maintain the platform’s integrity while cooperating with law enforcement to prevent illegal activities from spreading. These recent updates to Telegram’s privacy and security policies are seen as an important step in that direction.
