On September 23, 2024, Telegram, Chief Executive Officer, Pavel Durov announced that the messaging application will provide users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to relevant political authorities as a response to legal requests from certain Western governments.
Durov announced that Telegram changed its terms of services to allegedly prevent criminals from abusing the platform.
This move comes less than a month after French authorities arrested Durov. In France, Durov faces charges of allegedly being complicit in the dissemination of materials featuring acts of child abuse.
Telegram’s policy changes represent a significant departure from its usual approach to government requests for data and its overall relaxed approach to content moderation.
