Telegram Updates Privacy Policy: Will Share User Data in Criminal Cases

Telegram's privacy policy up for a big change! Know how it will change your messaging experience

This will be the biggest change in Telegram's privacy policy, says the CEO Pavel Durov Telegram, which is a popular messaging app, has come up with an update on its privacy policy. The company claims to bring a 'major change' in its privacy policy. In an official update it said that Telegram will share the user's IP address and data if suspected of illegal activities. This will be the biggest change in Telegram's privacy policy, says the CEO Pavel Durov. He explained that this step is to restrict users from misusing the platform. Here's a look on how the change is going to impact you! Telegram changes its privacy policy Durov further explained that with this new policy he aims to stop criminals from abusing or misusing the platform. Earlier the messaging platform only shared users data if they were suspected to be violating laws. But now with the new policy each and every user data will be shared. As the saying goes by 'precaution is better than cure,' Durov seems to go by old sayings! So, what happened with the CEO of Telegram and why did he get arrested? Here's what happened. In August French prosecutors had charged Russian-born Durov in connection with alleged crimes committed on the messaging app. The case alleged that the billionaire CEO had refused to provide law enforcement with data to assist legal wiretaps on suspected criminals. The way ahead The change in the 'privacy policy' seems to make a completely different picture of Telegram being non-responsive to ' data takedown requests' from governments around the world. Early incidents suggest that the government has been requesting information about suspected criminals, which Telegram denied every time. So, this update can bring a major change looking at the early pictures! Apart from strengthening security and changing 'privacy policy' Telegram has also started implementing artificial intelligence (AI). By implementing AI and a team of moderators, Telegram has now started to hide problematic content from its search results. For example hiding anything related to abuse or illegal activities (which allegedly Durov got arrested for) as part of Telegram's plan to prevent misuse of users data. These regulations can also prevent the messaging app from suffering from face loss.

Telegram to Share User Data with Authorities in Criminal Cases

Calling and messaging app Telegram will now provide a user's phone number and IP address to judicial authorities if it receives an order confirming that the user is a suspect in a criminal case that violates the platform's terms of service. In case of such orders, Telegram will conduct a legal analysis before sharing the user's data, and should it share this data, it will reveal such occurrences in a quarterly transparency report. This comes as a part of a recent update to the platform's privacy policy, which previously stated that Telegram would disclose these details if a court order confirmed that the user was a terror suspect. These policy changes follow the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France in August as a part of a probe into organised crime. The French authorities charged him with a range of crimes, including creating a platform to enable illegal transactions and refusing to communicate documents/information necessary for intercepting illegal activities at the request of competent authorities. Besides France, Telegram is also reportedly under investigation by Indian authorities for extortion and gambling. The platform is also under investigation in South Korea over the spread of deepfake porn on the platform. After his arrest in August, Durov put out a statement mentioning that Telegram would improve its content moderation efforts. Then, on September 23, he put out an update about these content moderation changes. In this update, he mentioned that malicious actors had been leveraging Telegram Search to violate the company's terms of service and sell illegal goods. The company's team of moderators has been using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and restrict illegal content in Telegram Search, he added. Durov also mentioned the privacy policy update, adding that both -- the update and the moderation efforts -- are meant to discourage criminals. Earlier this month, the platform also updated its FAQ page to reflect that private chats on the platform can be within the scope of content moderation. One of the sections in the FAQ page used to state earlier that all Telegram chats and group chats were private among participants. It now reads that "All Telegram apps have 'Report' buttons that let you flag illegal content" with the company's moderators.

Telegram: Users' IP Addresses, Phone Numbers Can Be Given to Police

In a major privacy change, Telegram is opening the door to sharing user data, including IP addresses and phone numbers, with law enforcement. On Monday, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced the change after vowing to crack down on illegal activities on the messaging platform following his arrest in France. In a post, Durov said Telegram is working to control Telegram's search function, which some users have abused to "sell illegal goods." In response, a team of moderators is using AI to identify and remove problematic content in Telegram's search. Durov added: "To further deter criminals from abusing Telegram Search, we have updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, ensuring they are consistent across the world. We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests." It's a major reversal considering that last month, the app's privacy policy said: "If Telegram receives a court order that confirms you're a terror suspect, we may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities. So far, this has never happened." The company has since changed the policy to note Telegram may supply a user's IP address and phone number to the police for not just terrorism, but "If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you're a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service." Then, Telegram will conduct a legal analysis on whether to hand over the information. The policy change occurs after France arrested Durov last month for allegedly failing to cooperate with local law enforcement in stopping crime on the app. As a result, French investigators charged Durov for his complicity in several serious crimes, including child pornography distribution and narcotics trafficking, which have allegedly been occurring on Telegram. Durov, who has French citizenship, has since been released on bail. In response to the charges, he initially told Telegram's user base he'd strive to find a balance between privacy and security while refusing to bow down to governments demanding it hand over encryption keys or engage in censorship. Nevertheless, Durov also committed to cracking down on criminals on the messaging service, which led him to change Telegram's privacy policy on Monday. In his post, Durov added: "These measures should discourage criminals. Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users." Still, the change raises some serious doubts about Telegram's privacy, especially since the app doesn't end-to-end encrypt user messages by default. This means Durov's platform can also theoretically hand over user messages to law enforcement as well. Th other issue is whether Telegram will honor legal requests from more authoritarian governments such as Russia. In the meantime, there's already signs that many cybercriminals are ditching Telegram over fears about the app supplying user data to the police.

Telegram will now hand over your phone number and IP if you're a criminal suspect

Telegram will now turn over a user's phone number and IP address if it receives a request from authorities, according to its just-updated privacy policy: If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you're a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities. The adjustment is the latest change Telegram has made following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov last month, who French authorities charged with enabling illegal activity on the platform. In a post on Telegram, Durov says the company is making these changes to "deter criminals from abusing" the app's search function. Telegram's search feature allows users to look for public channels and bots, but Durov says it's been abused by people "to sell illegal goods." "We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests," Durov wrote in a post on his Telegram channel. "We won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users." As spotted by 404 Media, Telegram's law enforcement policy previously only applied to terror suspects, saying: "If Telegram receives a court order that confirms you're a terror suspect, we may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities." Telegram says it will disclose whether it provided user information to authorities in its quarterly transparency reports. Telegram's lax moderation policies have made the platform a popular spot for criminals. A recent report from The New York Times uncovered thousands of channels with ties to terrorism, child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, and extremism. Along with changing Telegram's privacy policy, Durov says moderators are using AI to identify and remove "problematic content" from the platform's search feature. Earlier this month, Telegram changed its language surrounding private chat moderation. It also disabled the "misused" People Nearby feature and paused media uploads to its anonymous blogging tool, Telegraph. As Telegram attempts to reverse its shady reputation, it will likely make even more changes to the platform's approach to illegal content and moderation.

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov confirms change in policy to allow criminal suspects' IP addresses and phone numbers to be shared

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov posted on his channel that Search on Telegram was "abused by people" who sold illegal goods, and that the platform's privacy policy and terms of service had been updated so that the IP addresses and phone numbers of offenders "can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests." This marks a departure from Telegram's tone in older platform policy notices, where the focus was largely on terror suspects and terrorists. Durov's note mentioned that a team of moderators was leveraging AI in order to make Telegram Search "safer." "These measures should discourage criminals. Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users," said the CEO, who was arrested in France and facing legal action over users allegedly abusing the platform, as well as Telegram's hands-off content moderation style. A comparison showing the latest privacy policy terms (above) and an older, archived version (below) | Photo Credit: Data sourced from Telegram, Wayback Machine, and compiled on Canva/The Hindu According to Telegram's privacy policy, under section 8.3. Law Enforcement Authorities, the updated terms stated that if Telegram "receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you're a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service," the platform may disclose the user's IP address and phone number to relevant authorities. Telegram said it will disclose such data sharing incidents in a transparency report. Should digital platform owners be held liable for user-generated content? | The Hindu parley podcast By contrast, an older archived version of the same policy section stated: "If Telegram receives a court order that confirms you're a terror suspect, we may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities. So far, this has never happened. When it does, we will include it in a semiannual transparency report published at: https://t.me/transparency." Telegram previously claimed that it could not be held responsible as a platform for abuse carried out by its users. The message sent from Pavel Durov's Telegram channel | Photo Credit: Pavel Durov on Telegram Those who spoke in Durov's defence after his arrest included NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and billionaire Elon Musk. The French administration has denied that Durov's arrest was politically motivated. Published - September 24, 2024 10:10 am IST Read Comments

Telegram tweaks T&Cs on IP address, phone number privacy

In a volte-face, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced that the made-in-Russia messaging platform will become a lot less cozy for criminals. "We have updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, ensuring they are consistent across the world," Durov said. "We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests." A glance at current and past terms and conditions for the service, which offers private and public instant messaging, finds that the original fine print reads, "If Telegram receives a court order that confirms you're a terror suspect, we may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities. So far, this has never happened." This has now changed to: "If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you're a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities." As you can see, a shift from cooperating with terror investigations to criminal probes in general. This is fairly significant as Telegram pretty much billed itself as a haven for those avoiding government surveillance and investigations. It offer a degree of end-to-end encryption for its users - more on that below - and organized its IT infrastructure around the world to effectively resist handing over information about its users to the authorities, which made it a destination for all kinds of netizens, good and bad. "We have disclosed zero bytes of user data to third parties, including governments" as the biz would put it in its documentation. ProtonMail, another internet service that promotes itself as highly private, updated its Ts&Cs in 2021 after it handed over a suspect's IP address and other info to the cops upon request, which led to the arrest of a French climate activist. Durov also described how the business was attempting to clean up Telegram-hosted content that was discoverable via its search function - think people having conversations about and sharing media of highly illegal stuff that others can find and join. Over the "last few weeks," a team of moderators, supported by AI tools (of course) has been going through posts to find and block scumbags up to no good, Durov said, and he urged people to report illegal behavior on the service. The phrase "last few weeks" could be telling here. In August, Durov was arrested in France after landing at Le Bourget airport. The multi-billionaire was held for days in jail before being charged with failure to cooperate with French law enforcement and allowing the use of his platform to facilitate trading in drugs and child sex abuse material, online harassment, and other crimes. Durov - who co-founded the Russian social network VK with his brother; the pair left the service in 2014 to set up Telegram - was released on bail of €5 million, and he is not allowed to leave the country until the charges are settled one way or another. And a week after his arrest, the South Korean government's telecom regulators approached the French for advice in dealing with the flood of deepfake porn that has become epidemic in the Asian country - and Telegram promptly apologized and began to curb that very content on its network. Telegram, an LLC registered in the British Virgin Islands, does allow for full end-to-end encryption but only in so-called secret chat messages, not by default, and these can only be opened on specific devices. ®

Telegram CEO Durov Says App to Provide More Data to Governments

(Bloomberg) -- Messaging app Telegram will provide users' IP addresses and phone numbers to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests, according to Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov. The platform changed its terms of service to deter criminals from abusing it, Durov said in a post on Telegram Monday. The move comes less than a month after his arrest in France, where he faces charges of alleged complicity in the spread of child sexual abuse materials. The move represents a marked difference from Telegram's approach to government requests for data and its reputation for lax moderation. The United Arab Emirates-based platform has been notoriously non-responsive to takedown requests from governments around the world, and often ignored requests for information about suspected criminals. The app, using artificial intelligence and a team of moderators, has now begun to conceal problematic content from its search results as part of its efforts prevent misuse, Durov said. French prosecutors in August charged the Russian-born Durov in connection with alleged crimes committed on the app. The case portrays the billionaire CEO as the head of a company that refused to provide law enforcement with data to assist legal wiretaps on suspected criminals. Durov, who has been ordered to remain in France during the investigation, denies the charges. Under Durov, Telegram has drawn the ire of governments ranging from the European Union to authoritarian regimes in Russia and Iran. It has been used by protesters seeking to organize against the authorities, while also becoming a hub for conspiracy theorists and extremists. White supremacists in the US, for instance, for years have used Telegram to coordinate attacks on power infrastructure. The Kremlin in 2018 attempted to block Telegram, only to reverse course two years later after failing to shut down the service. When the ban was dropped, the Russian regulator said Durov had signaled that he would help counter extremism and terrorism. Durov's arrest has led to a number of policy changes at Telegram. Earlier this month, Telegram disabled new media uploads, which Durov said was aimed at stopping bots and scammers.

Telegram changes tack and will now provide user info to governments in response to valid legal requests

Messaging app Telegram will provide users' IP addresses and phone numbers to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests, according to Chief Executive Officer Pavel Durov. The platform changed its terms of service to deter criminals from abusing it, Durov said in a post on Telegram Monday. The move comes less than a month after his arrest in France, where he faces charges of alleged complicity in the spread of child sexual abuse materials. The move represents a marked difference from Telegram's approach to government requests for data and its reputation for lax moderation. The United Arab Emirates-based platform has been notoriously non-responsive to takedown requests from governments around the world, and often ignored requests for information about suspected criminals. The app, using artificial intelligence and a team of moderators, has now begun to conceal problematic content from its search results as part of its efforts to prevent misuse, Durov said. French prosecutors in August charged the Russian-born Durov in connection with alleged crimes committed on the app. The case portrays the billionaire CEO as the head of a company that refused to provide law enforcement with data to assist legal wiretaps on suspected criminals. Durov, who has been ordered to remain in France during the investigation, denies the charges. Under Durov, Telegram has drawn the ire of governments ranging from the European Union to authoritarian regimes in Russia and Iran. It has been used by protesters seeking to organize against the authorities, while also becoming a hub for conspiracy theorists and extremists. White supremacists in the US, for instance, for years have used Telegram to coordinate attacks on power infrastructure. The Kremlin in 2018 attempted to block Telegram, only to reverse course two years later after failing to shut down the service. When the ban was dropped, the Russian regulator said Durov had signaled that he would help counter extremism and terrorism. Durov's arrest has led to a number of policy changes at Telegram. Earlier this month, Telegram disabled new media uploads, which Durov said was aimed at stopping bots and scammers.

Telegram CEO says user data will be provided to authorities if requested

Telegram will now hand over the data of users who violate their rules when requested by authorities, CEO Pavel Durov announced Monday. The changes come nearly a month after Durov was detained and indicted by French authorities after allegedly refusing to work with authorities investigating criminal acts on the messaging app. Durov, in a statement posted to his Telegram account Monday, said the platform updated its service and privacy policy to ensure they are "consistent across the world." "We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests," he wrote. "These measures should discourage criminals. Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users." Durov acknowledged Telegram's search feature has been "abused" by individuals to sell illegal goods. To combat this, the platform's moderators began using artificial intelligence to filter out content deemed unsafe or illegal, Durov said. Durov, a dual citizen of France and Russia, is facing six charges, alleging "complicity" in the distribution of child sexual abuse materials, illicit transactions, money laundering and drug trafficking allegedly taking place on the messaging app, according to Paris prosecutors. When law enforcement requested information or documents related to the illicit activities, Durov allegedly refused to meet their requests, per prosecutors. He spent days in police custody for questioning last month and was eventually placed under judicial supervision after posting €5 million for bail. His arrest placed the platform under an international microscope and spurred allegations it is allowing criminal activity to take place on the app. In a statement following Durov's arrest last month, Telegram said it abides by the European Union's laws and its moderation is "within industry standards and constantly improving." "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," Telegram said. "Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We're awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all." About two weeks after his arrest, Durov said he was "surprised" he was taken into custody, while also acknowledging the app's "abrupt increase" in users made it easier for criminals to use the platform for illicit activity. Durov's arrest also prompted concerns over free speech and the privacy of users' content. Telegram cannot be directly compared to many U.S. social media platforms due to differences in security protocols, experts told The Hill last month, though some noted the tech CEO's arrest still raises potential concerns for U.S. tech companies operating abroad as European countries ramp up regulations. Telegram offers users the option to send messages with end-to-end encryption, along with large group chats with as many as 200,000 users. Meta's WhatsApp has a maximum of 1,024 users.

Telegram will now provide IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legal requests

The decision is a major about-face for the privacy-focused messaging app. Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov stated that the messaging app will now start handing over the IP addresses and phone numbers of users if prompted by legal requests. Bloomberg, which first the policy change, notes that Telegram has historically been "notoriously non-responsive to takedown requests" and "often ignored requests for information about suspected criminals." Accompanying this development is the implementation of some moderation. Telegram has started using AI, as well as a human moderation team, to remove "problematic" content from its search results, Durov said. Durov also asked users to report unsafe and illegal content to the team so they can remove it. How much these changes will affect the popularity of Telegram with those engaged in illicit activities (or authorities' ability to prosecute them) remains unknown. While IP addresses and phone numbers may be useful for triangulating users' activities elsewhere, Telegram users can opt for several layers of anonymizing features, like disappearing messages, end-to-end encryption or the ability to use the service . The service's FAQ continues to brag that "To this day, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user messages to third parties, including governments." Back in August, Durov was arrested in France for crimes committed on Telegram and ordered to remain there. He denies these charges.

Telegram Will Comply With Law Enforcement Requests for User Data

In its revised Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Telegram states that it may share the IP addresses and phone numbers of rule breakers with law enforcement upon "valid legal request." The update comes a month after the Telegram CEO was arrested in France. Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, announced the policy updates on his Telegram channel yesterday. According to Durov, criminals have hijacked Telegram Search (which lets you find people, channels, and bots) to create an illegal marketplace of goods. "Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users," Durov explained the crackdown. Telegram will share phone numbers and IP addresses of offenders based on "valid legal requests" across the world. To determine if the legal request is valid, Telegram will "conduct a legal analysis." The company promises to publish quarterly transparency reports that document every legal request it fulfills. Durov has also deployed a team of moderators and AI algorithms to clean up Telegram Search. The team has already removed some illegal content from Search, and it's encouraging app users to report any shady stuff they come across. Telegram has created the @SearchReport bot to receive those reports which the moderator team will review. Historically, Telegram has only "partially complied" with legal requests from authorities. Last month, French authorities arrested and detained Pavel Durov (who holds citizenship in France) for four days because Telegram ignored legal requests related to money laundering, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. After his arrest, the billionaire founder blamed Telegram's non-compliance on rapid growth, claiming that "Telegram's abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform." Source: Telegram

Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities

The announcement marks a significant reversal for Durov, the platform's Russian-born co-founder who was detained by French authorities last month at an airport just north of Paris. Days later, prosecutors there charged him with enabling criminal activity on the platform. Allegations against him include complicity in spreading child abuse images and trafficking of drugs. He was also charged with failing to comply with law enforcement. Mr Durov, who has denied the charges, lashed out at authorities shortly after his arrest, saying that holding him responsible for crimes committed by third parties on the platform was both "surprising" and "misguided." Critics say Telegram has become a hotbed of misinformation, child pornography, and terror-related content partly because of a feature that allows groups to have up to 200,000 members. Meta-owned WhatsApp, by contrast, limits the size of groups to 1,000. Telegram was scrutinised last month for hosting far-right channels that contributed to violence in English cities. Earlier this week, Ukraine banned the app on state-issued devices in a bid to minimise threats posed by Russia. The arrest of the 39-year old chief executive has sparked debate about the future of free-speech protections on the internet. After Durov's detention, many people began to question whether Telegram was actually a safe place for political dissidents, according to John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab. He says this latest policy change is already being greeted with even more alarm in many communities. "Telegram's marketing as a platform that would resist government demands attracted people that wanted to feel safe sharing their political views in places like Russia, Belarus, and the Middle East," Mr Scott-Railton said. "Many are now scrutinizing Telegram's announcement with a basic question in mind: does this mean the platform will start cooperating with authorities in repressive regimes?" Telegram has not given much clarity on how the company will handle the demands from leaders of such regimes in the future, he added. Cybersecurity experts say that while Telegram has removed some groups in the past, it has a far weaker system of moderating extremist and illegal content than competing social media companies and messenger apps. Before the recent policy expansion, Telegram would only supply information on terror suspects, according to 404 Media. On Monday Mr Durov said the app was now using "a dedicated team of moderators" who were leveraging artificial intelligence to conceal problematic content in search results. But making that type of material harder to find likely won't be enough to fulfill requirements under French or European law, according to Daphne Keller at Stanford University's Center for Internet and Society. "Anything that Telegram employees look at and can recognize with reasonable certainty is illegal, they should be removing entirely," Ms Keller said. In some countries, they also need to notify authorities about particular kinds of seriously illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, she added. Ms Keller questioned whether the company's changes would be enough to satisfy authorities seeking information about targets of investigations, including who they are communicating with and the content of those messages. "It sounds like a commitment that is likely less than what law enforcement wants," Ms Keller said.

Messaging app Telegram to hand user data to the authorities

Pavel Durov, billionaire founder arrested in France, changes privacy rules of platform which claims 900 million users including Russian army Henry Samuel in Paris 24 September 2024 1:02pm Telegram has said it will in future give the authorities the internet addresses and phone numbers of its users, in response to "valid legal requests" such as search warrants. The change to the messaging app's terms of service and privacy policy "should discourage criminals", its embattled founder and chief executive Pavel Durov said. Mr Durov made the announcement in a post on Monday, weeks after his arrest in France on charges of failing to act against criminals using his app. "While 99.999 per cent of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001 per cent involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk," he added. "We won't let bad actors jeopardise the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users," Mr Durov said. The elusive 39-year old billionaire - who holds Russian, French and United Arab Emirati passports - added that the messaging platform had removed its more "problematic content". Telegram's search feature "has been abused by people who violated our terms of service to sell illegal goods", he told the 13 million subscribers to his personal channel. "Over the past few weeks," staff had combed through Telegram using artificial intelligence to ensure "all the problematic content we identified in search is no longer accessible", he said. Popular in Russia Created in 2013, Telegram has become wildly popular in Russia, Ukraine, and the Middle East, both for private communication and as a source of uncensored news. Today it is widely used by Russian and Ukrainian war propagandists, and by both sides - especially the Russian army - for battlefield communications. This week, Ukraine banned the app on state-issued devices to prevent Russian spying. The Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council (RNBO) said it imposed the ban to "minimise" threats such as Russia being able to intercept messages even after they have been deleted. "Telegram is actively used by the enemy for cyber-attacks, the distribution of phishing and malicious software, user geolocation and missile strike correction," the RNBO said in a statement. There is speculation that Russia may have a backdoor to the app's encrypted communications and that the West is now pressuring Mr Durov to provide the same favour. The prospect of handing the authorities details of users' identities will be a source of disquiet to dissidents in Iran (where Telegram is officially banned but widely used), and other repressive states. Arrested in France It is a significant reversal for the platform's Russian-born co-founder, who was arrested on Aug 24 as he arrived at Le Bourget airport outside Paris by private jet. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, was kept in the dark over his arrest, despite being reportedly close to Mr Durov, who secured fast-track French nationality in 2021. French prosecutors charged Mr Durov with enabling criminal activity on the platform. Allegations against him include complicity in spreading child abuse images and trafficking of drugs. He was also charged with failing to comply with law enforcement. Mr Durov, who has denied the charges, initially lashed out, saying that holding him responsible for crimes committed by third parties on the platform was both "surprising" and "misguided". But he later announced steps appearing to bow to Paris's demands. On Sept 6, he said Telegram would alter its "people nearby" feature to present users with "legitimate businesses" rather than "bots and scammers". "This year we are committed to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise," he said at the time. He was released on a €5 million (£4.2 million) bail but must remain in France and report to police twice a week. Misinformation Critics say Telegram has become a hotbed of misinformation, child pornography, and terror-related content partly because of a feature that allows groups to have up to 200,000 members. Meta-owned WhatsApp, by contrast, limits the size of groups to 1,000. Telegram was under fire last month for hosting far-Right channels that helped provoke riots in English cities this summer. Mr Durov, who rarely speaks in public, has a fortune estimated at $15.5 billion (£11.6 billion) by Forbes magazine, but touts the virtues of an ascetic life that includes ice baths and not drinking alcohol or coffee. He came to prominence in Russia by founding Vkontakte, a social network modelled on Facebook. He lost control of that company after refusing to hand over data on Ukrainian protesters to the Kremlin and left Russia in 2014, saying he would never return. He headed to France and went on to find wealth with Telegram, founded with his brother Nikolai in 2013. According to Mr Durov, Telegram has around 900 million active users worldwide.

Telegram agrees to turn over IP addresses of users with arrest warrants

Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Telegram announced it will give authorities the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who have search warrants against them or other legal action, as its founder Pavel Durov faces scrutiny over crime on the messaging platform. Durov said in a post Monday that the updates to its privacy policies that would hand over data of users in response to "valid legal requests" should "discourage criminals." "While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk," Durov said in a post on Monday. French authorities arrested Durov over suspected criminal activity on Telegram that included gang activity, trafficking and the platform's previous position not to cooperate with law enforcement during investigations. He was released on a hefty $5.56 million bond. Durov said in other changes being made by Telegram, moderators and artificial intelligence will help find and remove "problem content" from public search features. "Search on Telegram is more powerful than in other messaging apps because it allows users to find public channels and bots," Durov said. "Unfortunately, this feature has been abused by people who violated our Terms of Service to sell illegal goods." "Telegram search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods," he added. The concessions announced Monday came after Durov said earlier this month that his arrest by French authorities was "misguided" and "surprising." He argued at the time that he could not be held responsible for Telegram posts connected to criminal activities and that French authorities should have sued the company rather than targeting him personally. Law enforcement agencies in the United States and other countries have argued that Telegram has become the messaging app of choice for criminals, allowing drug gangs, human traffickers, and extremist groups to communicate freely.

Telegram Will Share User Data With Authorities in Crime Crackdown After CEO Arrest - Decrypt

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said Monday that the popular messaging platform will now share user details with authorities of those who violate the rules of the app. The move comes following his own arrest by French authorities last month, due in part to a lack of cooperation over illicit activities allegedly taking place on the platform. Durov said in a post on Telegram that the company had updated its terms of service, and that it is now actively blocking the ability to search for illicit goods and activities via search. Users who still try to share illegal content to be accessible via Telegram search could now have their IP addresses and phone numbers passed to authorities. "Telegram search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods," the post reads. He continued: "We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests." Durov said that the Telegram team was using artificial intelligence to make Telegram search "much safer." As a result, "problematic content" now no longer shows up via the app's search bar. The feature allows people to look for groups, chats, and contacts. French authorities arrested the CEO of the encrypted messaging app Telegram last month. The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office alleged that Telegram was complicit in allowing illegal material to be shared on the platform, and was not responsive to law enforcement requests. French authorities also alleged that Durov is under investigation for using certain types of cryptography on the platform in the country without permission. The Russian-born tech entrepreneur paid a €5 million bond ($5.5 million) to be released, but is under judicial supervision and cannot leave France. Durov prides Telegram on being private, but criminals and fraudsters have allegedly flocked to the platform -- which has nearly one billion users around the globe -- to sell drugs, push crypto scams, or share child abuse images. Telegram has gained additional traction across the crypto industry over the last year thanks to the rise of The Open Network (TON), a blockchain network that Telegram originally created but then abandoned in 2020 due to regulatory issues. Development then continued externally via a community of independent developers. TON now powers an array of popular crypto games on the platform, including Notcoin and Hamster Kombat, plus Telegram itself has increasingly embraced its use of TON over the past several months -- including to pay channel operators a share of ad revenue, and to help power its Stars in-app currency.