Embattled Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has reportedly agreed to hand over the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who use his encrypted messaging app to government authorities who make valid legal requests.
Durov, the French-Russian billionaire who was arrested in France last month and hit with a slew of charges, including facilitating the spread of child pornography through his popular messaging app, announced on Monday that Telegram changed the terms of his service to deter criminals. from using the service.
The move is a departure from Telegram’s previous policies, which often gave short shrift to government requests for user data.
Telegram amassed a user base of hundreds of millions of people worldwide because of its reputation as an online messaging service that protects privacy, avoids data collection and refuses to cooperate with government officials.
The app offers end-to-end encrypted chats that ensure only the sender and receiver are able to read the messages being exchanged.
But critics claim that Telegram is the preferred method of communication for criminal organizations involved in a range of illegal activities, including money laundering, sex trafficking and the distribution of child pornography.
Telegram collects very little data compared to other messaging platforms. In the past, the company has said it would only consider sharing data with governments if the request is supported by a court order that is legally binding under the jurisdiction in which it operates.
The company is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, where Durov also has citizenship.
The new updated terms of service appear to expand the company’s policy by “ensuring that they are consistent worldwide,” Durov wrote in a post on his Telegram channel.
Earlier this month, Durov vowed to step up efforts to combat criminal activity on his messaging app after French authorities issued preliminary indictments accusing him of facilitating illegal activities.
Telegram quietly removed language from its “frequently asked questions” page that said “we do not process any requests related to them.”
In a Telegram post from September 5, Durov defended himself against the French judicial investigation, suggesting that he should not have been personally targeted.
“Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is the wrong approach,” the post said.
“Construction technology is difficult enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be held personally responsible for the potential abuse of those tools.”
While insisting that Telegram is not “some kind of anarchic paradise,” Durov said Telegram’s large number of users “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”
“That is why I have made it my personal goal to ensure that we significantly improve things in this regard. We have already started that process internally and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon,” he said.
In late August, Durov was arrested by French investigators at Le Bourget airport outside Paris.
The French allegations against Durov include that Telegram was used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that the platform refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
Durov, who has long said he has “nothing to hide”, has been banned from leaving France while the investigation continues.
By postal wire
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