Less than 2 weeks ago, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov revealed that the IP addresses and phone numbers of users of the messaging application could be transferred to the authorities, causing everyone's surprise. However, Telegram has been providing this data for several years now.
Telegram users somewhat worried
On September 23, Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, announced on his personal channel that following numerous repeated violations of the application's terms of use, Telegram's search functionality was improved to make illegal content more difficult to find.
An announcement that sounded like a clap of thunder, Pavel Durov announcing in the same message that Telegram was able to transmit its users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities when necessary:
We have clarified that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules may be disclosed to appropriate authorities in response to valid legal requests. […] We won't let bad actors compromise the integrity of our platform for nearly a billion users.
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A thunderclap, because the application was until then recognized as respectful of confidentiality and private life, which is why many users expressed their indignation following this announcement on social networks.
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A measure in place for several years
But, ultimately, according to a message posted by Pavel Durov on his personal Telegram channel late morning today, updating the conditions of use of the application would not have actually changed much.
And, responding to the discontent observed among some Telegram users, he clarified that the messaging app was actually able to disclose the IP addresses and phone numbers of its users since 2018 :
Since 2018, Telegram has been able to disclose criminals' IP addresses/phone numbers to authorities, in accordance with our privacy policy in most countries. […] Every time we received a properly formed legal request through the relevant communication lines, we verified it and disclosed the IP addresses/phone numbers of dangerous criminals. This process was in place well before last week.
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More specifically, the CEO of Telegram indicated that the changes to the platform's terms of use aimed to unify and rationalize the operation of the platform and what was prohibited there.
According to the official Telegram transparency bot, highlighted by Pavel Durov himself, 686 individuals had their IP addresses and phone numbers disclosed to French authorities since the start of 2024.
“ Telegram was built to protect activists and ordinary people from corrupt governments and corporations – we don't allow criminals to abuse our platform or escape justice, » concluded the CEO of Telegram.
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