Telegram has updated its privacy policy, announcing that it will now share users’ phone numbers and IP addresses with law enforcement if they are found to be violating the platform’s rules, provided a valid legal request is made.
CEO Pavel Durov explained on Monday that Telegram will only comply after receiving a court order confirming that the user is suspected of criminal activity breaching Telegram’s Terms of Service.
Previously, Telegram only shared sensitive user data in cases involving terror suspects. According to Durov, any such disclosures will be outlined in Telegram’s quarterly transparency report, which will soon be available via the @Transparency bot, though the bot is not yet fully operational.
Telegram has also bolstered its search feature, which has been misused to promote illegal goods. Durov revealed that a dedicated team is actively removing problematic content, and users are encouraged to report illegal material using the @SearchReport bot.
This update follows Durov’s recent arrest in France, connected to investigations into Telegram’s use for illegal activities, as well as a move by Ukraine’s National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCCC) to ban Telegram within government agencies due to national security concerns.
