Telegram will now share users’ phone numbers and IP addresses with law enforcement when they violate the platform’s rules after a valid legal request.
CEO Pavel Durov announced this change in an updated privacy policy, stating that Telegram will only comply with such requests after receiving a court order confirming the user is a suspect in a criminal case that breaches the platform’s Terms of Service, according to BleepingComputer.
Durov explained, “If Telegram receives a valid court order confirming your involvement in criminal activities violating our Terms of Service, we will review the request and may share your IP address and phone number with authorities.”
He also mentioned that if any data is shared, it will be reported in a quarterly transparency report available at: https://t.me/transparency.
Previously, Telegram only shared sensitive user information in cases involving terror suspects. However, the transparency submissions bot is not yet functional, with a message indicating that Telegram is still working on updating it.
Durov also highlighted improvements to Telegram’s search feature, which has been misused to promote illegal goods.
A team has been working to remove problematic content from search results, and users are encouraged to report illegal material through the @SearchReport bot. Telegram promises that moderators will review all such reports.
“These measures should discourage criminals,” Durov said. “Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won’t let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users.”
This update follows Durov’s recent arrest in France, where he was investigated for fraud, drug trafficking, and illegal content distribution through Telegram. He was released on bail but remains under investigation.