The popular messaging app Telegram has announced a significant change to its terms of service and privacy policy, stating that it will now hand over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities with valid legal requests. This decision, according to CEO Pavel Durov, is aimed at discouraging criminal activities on the platform.
The announcement comes in the wake of Mr Durov’s recent detention by French authorities, who have charged him with enabling criminal activity on the platform, including spreading child abuse images and drug trafficking. Despite denying the charges, Mr Durov has now agreed to cooperate with authorities in order to combat illicit activities on Telegram.
Critics of the platform have long accused it of hosting misinformation, child pornography, and terror-related content, partly due to its feature allowing groups of up to 200,000 members. In contrast, Meta-owned WhatsApp limits group sizes to 1,000 members.
The recent policy change has raised concerns about the future of free speech protections on the internet, especially in repressive regimes where users rely on Telegram to share their political views safely. Cybersecurity experts warn that Telegram’s moderation of extremist and illegal content is weaker compared to other social media platforms.
While Telegram has implemented measures such as a dedicated team of moderators and artificial intelligence to conceal problematic content, experts question whether these changes will satisfy authorities seeking information on criminal investigations. The company’s commitment to cooperate with law enforcement remains unclear, leaving many users and experts skeptical about the platform’s future.
