Instant messaging platform Telegram has announced a significant policy change following legal pressure, just weeks after its Chief Executive Officer, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on charges related to the alleged distribution of child sexual abuse materials.
On Monday, Durov revealed that Telegram will now provide users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to relevant authorities upon request. This move is part of a broader strategy to counter perceptions that the platform is “notoriously non-responsive to takedown requests” and has “often ignored requests for information about suspected criminals.”
Durov emphasized that the company is implementing new moderation practices, including the establishment of a human moderation team and artificial intelligence tools aimed at removing “problematic” content from its search results. He urged users to report any unsafe or unlawful content for review and potential removal.
While it remains uncertain how these changes will affect Telegram’s appeal among users engaged in illegal activities, the platform now offers enhanced privacy options. Users can choose from various anonymizing features, such as vanishing messages, end-to-end encryption, and the ability to access the service without a SIM card.
Despite the new policy, the company maintains that it has not disclosed any user messages to third parties, including governments, stating in its FAQ, “To date, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user messages to third parties.”
