Telegram has been revealing criminal IP addresses to authorities since 2018

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has disclosed that the social media platform has always collaborated with law enforcement agencies, even revealing the IP addresses of criminals to authorities as far back as 2018.

Durov’s comments follow recent changes to the platform privacy policy and terms of service, which were made to assuage concerns from law enforcement authorities about the social media app. The changes include introducing moderators using artificial intelligence to hide problematic content from Telegram Search.

However, the key change that attracted attention was the update that Telegram can reveal IP addresses and phone numbers of those violating content restrictions rules to law enforcement agencies.

This update has attracted attention from observers who question whether it could lead to Telegram disclosing information about users to repressive governments, given that the platform is popular among dissidents and activists.

Durov says Telegram remains committed to free speech

However, Durov has clarified the updates, noting that it is not a major change as the platform has always complied with content moderation standards and cooperated with law enforcement authorities.

He said:

“Since 2018, Telegram has been able to disclose IP addresses/phone numbers of criminals to authorities, according to our Privacy Policy in most countries.”

Durov further explained the process, noting that Telegram always processed legal requests from authorities and disclosed information such as criminals’ IP addresses and phone numbers. He gave examples of India and Brazil, where the company processed almost 7,000 and 203 legal requests, respectively, in the first three quarters of 2024.

The CEO added that the new updates simply streamline and unify its privacy policy in several countries and do not affect its core principles.

He added:

“Our core principles haven’t changed. We’ve always strived to comply with relevant local laws — as long as they didn’t go against our values of freedom and privacy.”

Meanwhile, Durov noted that Telegram saw more valid legal requests from  European law enforcement in Q3 of 2024 because they are all now using the contact point as mandated by the EU Digital Services Act.

Will Telegram updates address regulatory concerns?

Today’s post will clarify the concerns of many who are now wondering how the new privacy policy would affect Telegram operations and its pro-privacy and censorship-resistance stance. As the CEO noted, its features were meant to protect activists and ordinary people, not to be abused by criminals.

However, another question is whether these changes would be enough to address law enforcement concerns. The platform has been under regulatory scrutiny for being a haven for several illicit activities, leading to the arrest of its Durov in France a few weeks ago.

Although Durov criticized the arrest and criminal charges against him as misguided, the changes suggest Telegram remains committed to regulatory compliance. Still, experts are undecided on whether the changes would be enough to satisfy law enforcement authorities who are scrutinizing its content moderation standards.

She noted that the general rule is for social media platforms to remove such illegal content instead of just hiding it from search. In some cases, such as child pornography, the platform is even obligated to report such content to the authorities after removal.