Telegram has passed on criminal data to authorities for years, says Durov

The founder of popular messaging app Telegram explained that recently announced updates to the platform’s terms of service do not represent a major change in the way it interacts with law enforcement, as the company has been sharing criminal data with authorities for years.

“My previous post seemed to announce a big change in how Telegram works. But in reality little has changed,” Pavel Durov said in a statement on Wednesday.

Last week, Durov said Telegram would share the IP addresses and phone numbers of rule violators with the relevant authorities to prevent “bad actors” from “jeopardizing the integrity” of the platform.

In the latest statement, he explained that disclosing the IP addresses and phone numbers of “dangerous criminals” had been practiced long before last week. To do this, the company had to receive a “properly drafted legal request” and “conduct its legal analysis.”

According to Durov, his previous announcement was intended to highlight that Telegram has “streamlined and unified” its privacy policies in different countries. He did not provide further details, but added that the company’s “core principles” remain unchanged.

“We have always tried to comply with relevant local laws – as long as they do not conflict with our values ​​of freedom and privacy,” Durov added.

He said Telegram has already disclosed data on nearly 200 legal requests in Brazil this year. In India, the company’s largest market, Telegram has fulfilled nearly 7,000 legal requests since January. Recorded Future News could not independently verify this data.

Durov also noted that the number of such requests in Europe has increased in recent months as “more and more EU authorities have started using the right line of communication for their requests.”

Telegram’s data disclosure rules are primarily aimed at users who abuse the platform’s search function to sell illegal goods.

In recent weeks, Telegram moderators have used artificial intelligence to make the platform’s search function “much safer” and make problematic content inaccessible, Durov said in a post last week.

Cybercrime experts noted that his announcement caused panic among account holders who use the platform for activities such as drug trafficking, distributing child pornography and money laundering.

Hacktivist groups such as Ghosts of Palestine, RipperSec and Al Ahad have either declared their intention to leave Telegram or have already started setting up backup channels in the Discord or Signal apps.

According to a report from Israel-based software company Kela, some criminals have even discussed creating a custom messaging platform that uses Telegram’s graphical user interface (GUI) as a basis to continue their activities with less risk of compromise.

“Despite these initial responses, there has not yet been a mass exodus of cybercriminals from Telegram,” researchers said. “However, these discussions suggest possible future developments as groups and individuals weigh their options in response to the platform shift.”

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