Telegram Will Now Share User Details On Legal Requests: On Monday, the renowned messaging service Telegram announced it will start sharing users’ IP addresses and phone numbers with authorities in response to legitimate legal requests, a transformation in its privacy approach.
“If Telegram obtains a valid order from the relevant judicial bodies that confirms that you are an individual connected to investigations involving criminal actions that violate Telegram’s Terms of Service, we will analyze the request and could reveal your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities,” an updated statement in Telegram’s Privacy Policy said on Monday.
“If any data is shared, we will include such occurrences in a quarterly transparency report published at: https://t.me/transparency.”
The current modification made by the company happens after the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram’s Founder and CEO, by French authorities last month over allegations of his inadequate cooperation with law enforcement regarding the use of his platform for unlawful activities, including drug trafficking and distribution of child exploitation materials.
In a message posted on his Telegram channel on Monday, Durov said that these changes are necessary to stop criminals from misusing Telegram Search. According to him, Telegram Search is for locating friends and uncovering news; however, “bad actors” are taking advantage of it to market illegal goods.
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To help contain some of the content, Durov said the company has been employing AI together with a dedicated moderation team for the last few weeks to eliminate “problematic content” from Telegram Search to make it safer. Users who find unsafe or illegal material in Telegram Search should report it to the team, according to Durov, so that the team can take it down.
“We won’t let bad actors endanger the integrity of our platform for nearly a billion users,” Durot added.
In the past, Telegram’s law enforcement measures only concerned itself with terror suspects. According to the trendy messaging app, if it obtains a court order verifying that the user is a terror suspect, it will share their IP address and phone number with the relevant authorities.
There’s a lack of understanding regarding the amount of information to be revealed to law enforcement and how the modifications will impact messaging platform popularity. Even though there has been a privacy policy update, Telegram insists it does not pass along user messages to any third parties, including government agencies, and features strong protections like disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption for Telegram policy updates of user data.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the trigger for Telegram making this policy change?
Telegram shares user details upon legal requests due to intensifying regulatory pressures and expectations from multiple governments. The platform, known for championing privacy, now needs to adhere to national laws to avoid possible bans and legal fallouts.
2. What concrete user information will be made available?
Telegram will accept orders from the Iranian judiciary relevant to the case, like an IP address and phone number, or occasionally evidence of what has been discussed in conversation (they say subject to materiality). The company insisted that it will only react to valid legal requests and court orders and will not honor requests that it finds to be frivolous or lacking merit.
3. What Are the Effects on Telegram’s Future?
A policy modification like this holds serious hope for turning things around for Telegram and its user community. This could scare away some privacy-conscious users, but it also puts Telegram in a legally compliant position and could be more sustainable for the long term. How much will rely upon harmonizing the balance between lawfulness and privacy in a manner that keeps user confidence as well as the platform intact?