Messaging app Telegram will now hand over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities with valid legal requests, such as search warrants. This change in its privacy policy, CEO Pavel Durov said, is aimed at discouraging criminals. Durov stated that although only a small fraction of Telegram’s users engage in illegal activities, their actions threaten the app’s nearly one billion users.
This shift represents a major reversal for Durov, who co-founded Telegram and has long resisted government interference. His recent arrest by French authorities and charges of enabling criminal activity on the platform, including the spread of child abuse images and drug trafficking, prompted this policy change. Durov has denied these allegations.
Telegram has long faced criticism for being a breeding ground for misinformation, extremist content, and large criminal networks. Unlike WhatsApp, which limits group sizes to 1,000, Telegram allows up to 200,000 members in a group, making it harder to monitor.
Some experts, like John Scott-Railton from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, worry the new policy could be exploited by repressive regimes. Telegram’s commitment to sharing data raises questions about the future of free speech on the platform.
While Telegram has introduced AI moderation to tackle problematic content, critics argue the company’s efforts may fall short of meeting legal requirements, particularly in Europe, where stricter regulations on illegal content are in place.
