The messaging app Telegram has said it will hand over users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities who have search warrants or other valid legal requests.
The change to its terms of service and privacy policy "should discourage criminals",
CEO Pavel Durov said in a Telegram post on Monday.
“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,”
he continued.
The announcement marks a significant reversal for Mr 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 alsocharged with failing to comply with law enforcement.
In a message on its Telegram Channel, Durov revealed that over the last few weeks, a dedicated team of moderators, leveraging AI, has worked on its platform to identify and remove problematic content from the app.
“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.” Durov wrote on its Telegram Channel.
“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.”
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