Data of users involved in crime will be shared with the authorities

marry 24.09.2024, 10:00 AM

Telegram has updated its terms of service to discourage users who abuse the platform from “jeopardizing its integrity,” Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said. He said Telegram will now disclose the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate the app’s rules to authorities “in response to valid legal requests” to curb crime on the platform.

The previous version of Telegram’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy included an obligation to disclose users’ phone numbers and IP addresses only with a court order confirming that the user is suspected of terrorism. According to Telegram’s transparency report, this never happened.

For years, the company has refused to control the platform, which has turned into a major haven for cybercrime and other illegal activities, including drug trafficking, child pornography and money laundering.

The new policy applies to users who are suspected of being involved in criminal activities and who have violated Telegram’s Terms of Use. The company said it would “conduct a legal analysis” of the authorities’ requests before disclosing user data. These measures will be applied “consistently around the world”, said Durov.

Such disclosure will be included in the company’s periodic transparency reports.

The updated Terms of Use apply, among other things, to users who misuse Telegram’s search function to sell illegal goods.

“Telegram search is intended to find friends and discover news, not to promote illegal goods,” Durov emphasized.

In recent weeks, Telegram moderators have used artificial intelligence to make the platform’s search function “much safer,” and according to Durov, flagged problematic content has become unavailable.

The changes come as the CEO, who was born in Russia, is officially under investigation in France for a series of crimes, including complicity in facilitating the distribution of child pornography and the sale of drugs on the platform. Law enforcement and security researchers have extensively documented illegal activities on Telegram, including recruiting and organizing among extremist groups.

Durov was released on bail after his arrest, but was ordered to remain in the country due to the ongoing investigation.

Durov wrote on his Telegram channel that he aims to make his app “safer and stronger.”

“Telegram’s sudden increase in the number of users to 950 million has made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform,” Durov wrote. “That’s why I set myself a personal goal to improve significantly in this regard.”

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