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The messaging app Telegram will now hand over user data when requested by authorities.
“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,” Bloomberg reports.
The about-face follows the arrest of Durov in France.
BREAKING – Telegram CEO, has agreed to provide user data to governments.
… including IP addresses and phone numbers.
One wonders what sort of pressure was exerted on a private businessman by multiple governments to agree this deal.
Total online control…. Oh. pic.twitter.com/LdRKJAr6gz
— Bernie (@Artemisfornow) September 23, 2024
Per Bloomberg:
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.
🚨 NEW: Telegram updates their Terms of Service to announce they’ll now comply with police requests and give up your phone number, IP address, and other information when asked. This is following Pavel Durov’s recent arrest and release. End of an era. 😔 pic.twitter.com/NbYBEkJhfi
— Autism Capital 🧩 (@AutismCapital) September 23, 2024
Telegram is dead.
What messaging platforms do you recommend? pic.twitter.com/Z4LC5ZXMIb
— Sal the Agorist (@SallyMayweather) September 24, 2024
Engadget reports:
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 without a SIM card. 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.
“Establishing the right balance between privacy and security is not easy. You have to reconcile privacy laws with law enforcement requirements, and local laws with EU laws. You have to take into account technological limitations. As a platform, you want your processes to be consistent globally, while also ensuring they are not abused in countries with weak rule of law. We’ve been committed to engaging with regulators to find the right balance. Yes, we stand by our principles: our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we’ve always been open to dialogue,” Durov wrote earlier this month.
“Sometimes we can’t agree with a country’s regulator on the right balance between privacy and security. In those cases, we are ready to leave that country. We’ve done it many times. When Russia demanded we hand over ‘encryption keys’ to enable surveillance, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Russia. When Iran demanded we block channels of peaceful protesters, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Iran. We are prepared to leave markets that aren’t compatible with our principles, because we are not doing this for money. We are driven by the intention to bring good and defend the basic rights of people, particularly in places where these rights are violated,” he continued.
“All of that does not mean Telegram is perfect. Even the fact that authorities could be confused by where to send requests is something that we should improve. But the claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue. We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports. We have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster. However, we hear voices saying that it’s not enough. Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon,” he added.
❤️ Thanks everyone for your support and love!
Last month I got interviewed by police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.…
— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 6, 2024