Telegram Shifts Privacy Policy, Will Comply With Legal Requests For User Data

The messaging app Telegram has announced that it will provide users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities in response to search warrants or other legitimate legal requests.

CEO Pavel Durov, in a post on Monday, explained that this update to the platform's terms of service and privacy policy is intended to "discourage criminals."

“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 said.

Prosecutors charged Durov, who was arrested last month, with facilitating criminal activity on the platform, accusing him of complicity in the distribution of child abuse images and drug trafficking.

Durov, who has denied these allegations, criticised the authorities after his arrest, calling it "surprising" and "misguided" to hold him accountable for crimes committed by third parties on the platform.