Telegram Provides Information to Various Governments, Says Durov
Pavel Durov has disclosed that since 2018, Telegram has been supplying various authorities around the world with the phone numbers and IP addresses of criminals. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The platform has been cooperating with authorities in criminal cases since 2018, as revealed by Telegram's co-founder and CEO.
On Wednesday, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov disclosed that the messaging service has been adhering to privacy regulations across multiple countries and has been sharing information about criminal activities with authorities for the last six years.
The Russian tech billionaire is currently unable to leave France following his arrest in Paris in late August, where he faced various charges, including operating a platform utilized for organized crime and failing to cooperate with French law enforcement.
In a recent update regarding the platform's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Durov indicated that the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate the messenger’s policies “can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests.”
In a subsequent post on his Du Rove’s Channel on Wednesday, Durov emphasized that this new policy does not represent a “major shift” in Telegram's operations, as the platform has already been supplying relevant authorities with information regarding criminals who misuse the service.
“Since 2018, Telegram has been able to disclose IP addresses/phone numbers of criminals to authorities, according to our Privacy Policy in most countries,” Durov elaborated, explaining that the platform verifies any “properly formed legal request via relevant communication lines” before disclosing information about dangerous criminals.
He shared that, for instance, in Brazil, Telegram had responded to over 200 legal requests since the beginning of the year, while nearly 7,000 requests were fulfilled in India during the same timeframe.
Durov also pointed out an increase in “valid legal requests” in Europe recently, suggesting that this rise may be due to more EU authorities utilizing the appropriate communication lines for such requests.
He clarified that the recent change to the privacy policy was intended to streamline and unify processes and reassured that Telegram's foundational principles remain unchanged.
“We’ve always strived to comply with relevant local laws – as long as they didn’t go against our values of freedom and privacy,” Durov stated, asserting that Telegram was designed to “protect activists and ordinary people from corrupt governments and corporations” while maintaining that it does not permit criminals to exploit the platform or evade justice.
Durov was detained upon arriving at a Paris airport in late August and was released on bail a few days afterward. He faces 12 counts, including complicity in distributing child pornography, drug trafficking, and money laundering. These charges arise from allegations that Telegram’s lenient moderation practices contribute to the extensive misuse of the messaging service.
The businessman has strongly denied the accusations, reiterating that Telegram has consistently worked with state regulators to find “the right balance between privacy and security.” He also highlighted that the platform removes “millions of harmful posts and channels every day” and issues “daily transparency reports” detailing actions taken against illegal content.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
On Wednesday, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov disclosed that the messaging service has been adhering to privacy regulations across multiple countries and has been sharing information about criminal activities with authorities for the last six years.
The Russian tech billionaire is currently unable to leave France following his arrest in Paris in late August, where he faced various charges, including operating a platform utilized for organized crime and failing to cooperate with French law enforcement.
In a recent update regarding the platform's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Durov indicated that the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate the messenger’s policies “can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests.”
In a subsequent post on his Du Rove’s Channel on Wednesday, Durov emphasized that this new policy does not represent a “major shift” in Telegram's operations, as the platform has already been supplying relevant authorities with information regarding criminals who misuse the service.
“Since 2018, Telegram has been able to disclose IP addresses/phone numbers of criminals to authorities, according to our Privacy Policy in most countries,” Durov elaborated, explaining that the platform verifies any “properly formed legal request via relevant communication lines” before disclosing information about dangerous criminals.
He shared that, for instance, in Brazil, Telegram had responded to over 200 legal requests since the beginning of the year, while nearly 7,000 requests were fulfilled in India during the same timeframe.
Durov also pointed out an increase in “valid legal requests” in Europe recently, suggesting that this rise may be due to more EU authorities utilizing the appropriate communication lines for such requests.
He clarified that the recent change to the privacy policy was intended to streamline and unify processes and reassured that Telegram's foundational principles remain unchanged.
“We’ve always strived to comply with relevant local laws – as long as they didn’t go against our values of freedom and privacy,” Durov stated, asserting that Telegram was designed to “protect activists and ordinary people from corrupt governments and corporations” while maintaining that it does not permit criminals to exploit the platform or evade justice.
Durov was detained upon arriving at a Paris airport in late August and was released on bail a few days afterward. He faces 12 counts, including complicity in distributing child pornography, drug trafficking, and money laundering. These charges arise from allegations that Telegram’s lenient moderation practices contribute to the extensive misuse of the messaging service.
The businessman has strongly denied the accusations, reiterating that Telegram has consistently worked with state regulators to find “the right balance between privacy and security.” He also highlighted that the platform removes “millions of harmful posts and channels every day” and issues “daily transparency reports” detailing actions taken against illegal content.
Anna Muller contributed to this report for TROIB News
