In an attempt to curb illicit activity on the network, the well-known messaging service Telegram has announced a significant policy reversal: in response to legitimate legal requests, it will provide users’ phone numbers and IP addresses to authorities.
“We’ve made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests,” Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, wrote in a
In light of this, the business now clearly declares –
“If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you’re a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities.”
It stated that these data disclosures will be featured in its recurring reports on transparency. It further mentioned that in order to combat spam, abuse, and other infractions, the service may gather metadata such as IP address, devices, and Telegram apps used, as well as the history of username changes.
It’s important to remember that a prior iteration of the policy restricted user information sharing to situations involving potential terrorists: “If Telegram receives a court order that confirms you’re a terror suspect, we may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities.”
Alongside the updates are a new way for users to report illicit search keywords and content using the @SearchReport bot, which will then be reviewed and removed by a human moderation team. The update to the search tool will also eliminate problematic information from search results.
Telegram has made significant changes to its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The firm has been unwilling to police the platform for years, which has allowed it to become a major sanctuary for money laundering, drug trafficking, and child pornography in addition to crimes.
The arrest of Durov in France on charges that the firm ignored numerous crimes that were allowed to develop unchecked on the platform has also prompted adjustments. After that, he was granted bail and allowed to leave the nation while an inquiry was conducted.
Citing concerns about national security, the Ukrainian government announced last week that it was outlawing the use of Telegram by public servants, members of the armed forces, and other employees involved in defence and key infrastructure.