Telegram CEO Pavel Durov clarified adjustments to the platform’s privateness coverage, emphasizing that the messaging software has shared criminals’ IP addresses with authorities since 2018.
In an Oct. 2 submit on his Telegram channel, Durov defined that final week’s coverage replace goals to streamline and unify Telegram’s privateness strategy throughout completely different areas.
In response to him, the brand new replace would permit the platform to share consumer IP addresses and cellphone numbers with authorities in response to authorized requests.
This coverage replace follows Durov’s latest arrest in France, the place he confronted allegations associated to Telegram’s information practices. French authorities detained him for failing to reasonable content material and share consumer information, sparking widespread criticism of the grounds for his arrest.
IP handle sharing
Durov famous that Telegram has constantly shared criminals’ IP addresses and cellphone numbers with authorities in international locations like Brazil, India, and, extra not too long ago, numerous European nations.
He acknowledged:
“At any time when we acquired a correctly fashioned authorized request by way of related communication traces, we’d confirm it and disclose the IP addresses/cellphone numbers of harmful criminals. This course of had been in place lengthy earlier than final week.”
He acknowledged that these disclosures happen in response to formal authorized requests submitted via official communication channels. In 2024, Telegram complied with 203 requests in Brazil and 6,992 in India.
Durov additionally famous a rise in authorized requests in the course of the third quarter of 2024. He attributed this rise to European authorities accurately utilizing the suitable communication channels.
He furthered that Telegram’s Transparency Bot, which gives info on these requests, stays energetic in delivering updates on processed information disclosures.
Regardless of these updates, Durov emphasised that Telegram’s basic rules stay intact. He reiterated that the platform nonetheless champions freedom and privateness whereas complying with related native legal guidelines.
He concluded:
“Telegram was constructed to guard activists and abnormal folks from corrupt governments and companies — we don’t permit criminals to abuse our platform or evade justice.”
