Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of the messaging platform Telegram, announced on Wednesday that the service has been maintaining its commitment to privacy policies across various countries while also sharing information on criminal activity with law enforcement agencies for the past six years.
In a recent update to Telegram’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Durov highlighted that the platform could disclose the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate its rules in response to valid legal requests. He emphasized that this policy represents no significant change in Telegram’s operations, noting that the platform has already been disclosing information about criminals who misuse its services.
“Since 2018, Telegram has been able to disclose IP addresses and phone numbers of criminals to authorities, according to our Privacy Policy in most countries,” Durov stated. He explained that the company verifies requests received through established communication channels before sharing any sensitive information.
Durov’s comments come at a time when he is facing legal challenges in France, having been arrested in late August on multiple charges, including operating a platform linked to organized crime and failing to cooperate with French authorities. His arrest has sparked heightened scrutiny over Telegram’s compliance with legal requests, leading to increased cooperation with France’s justice system.
Following Durov’s arrest, several countries have reached out to Telegram for assistance in their own cybercrime investigations. According to a report by Le Figaro, the messaging platform’s collaboration with France has facilitated information requests from other nations as part of a broader investigation into organized crime. The report mentioned that one member of the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) received a response related to a Telegram group implicated in orchestrating approximately 100 murders.
Moreover, it has been reported that nations such as South Korea are in the process of filing cases against Telegram in the French justice system, further indicating the platform’s growing global legal entanglements.
Since Durov’s arrest, Telegram has also ramped up its cooperation with authorities regarding crimes against children, according to Liberation. This shift highlights a proactive approach by the platform to demonstrate its commitment to combating criminal activity while balancing user privacy concerns.
