Telegram agrees to share user data for criminal investigations

Messaging app Telegram has agreed to share data for criminal investigations, a significant policy shift by its CEO, Pavel Durov.

In a statement posted on Telegram, Durov said: “We have made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules may be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to legitimate legal requests.”

Durov, the Russian-born co-founder of Telegram who was detained by French authorities in August, has been charged with facilitating criminal activity on the platform.

The charges against Durov stem from allegations that Telegram was used to distribute child abuse images, facilitate drug trafficking, commit fraud, and support organized crime. Durov was also accused of failing to comply with law enforcement orders by withholding information or documents.

Founded in 2013, Telegram claims to have nearly 1 billion users worldwide. It gained popularity due to its strong stance on privacy, describing itself as: “Committed to protecting user privacy and human rights such as freedom of speech and assembly. Has played a significant role in pro-democracy movements.”

Durov described Telegram’s search engine as “more advanced” than other messaging apps, but said the feature “was abused by people who violated our Terms of Service to sell illegal goods,” in a statement posted on his Telegram channel.

He went on to say that “a dedicated team of AI-powered moderators has made Telegram Search much safer.” He added that “all the problematic content we identified in Search is no longer available,” and said that anything unsafe or illegal found on Telegram Search can now be reported via @SearchReport in the app.

“These measures should deter criminals,” he wrote. “Telegram’s search engine is designed to find friends and discover news, not to promote illegal goods. We will not allow bad actors to compromise the integrity of our platform for nearly a billion users.”

This marks a major shift in policy for Durov and the app. After his arrest in August, a statement shared on Telegram said that it was “absurd to claim that the platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of this platform” and that the app complies with European Union regulations.

Telegram faces additional challenges in Ukraine.

According to the BBC, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) has announced a ban on the use of the Telegram app on official devices issued to government and military personnel, as well as defense and critical infrastructure workers.

The ban is a response to perceived security threats from Russia.

Rnbo said that: “Telegram is actively used by the enemy for cyberattacks, distributing phishing and malware, geolocating users and correcting missile strikes.”

The Telegram app is popular in both Russia and Ukraine and played a key role in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Newsweek contacted Telegram via the platform’s official press channel.

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