Telegram, the popular messaging app, has recently made a significant update to its privacy policy, causing concern among its users. In response to valid legal requests, the app will now share user data with relevant authorities. This includes sharing IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate the app’s rules. The announcement was made by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on September 23rd.
This policy update has raised concerns regarding privacy-preserving technologies, as it goes against Telegram’s foundational principles, according to Anndy Lian, an author and intergovernmental blockchain expert. Lian stated that this represents a significant change in Telegram’s user guidelines, which came about due to concerns about the platform being used for illegal activities. The policy shift occurred on August 24th, about a month after Durov’s arrest in France.
Despite potential privacy concerns, the primary goal of Telegram’s policy update is to combat criminal activity on the platform. As part of this effort, the app has implemented artificial intelligence algorithms and human moderators to remove problematic content from Telegram Search. The aim of the policy shift is to make Telegram Search safer for users and discourage criminal activity.
Telegram is currently the world’s fourth most popular online messenger app, with over 900 million monthly active users as of April 2024, according to Statista. It is worth noting that other top messaging apps, such as WhatsApp and Meta’s Messenger, also share user data with authorities in compliance with legal requests. WhatsApp, which is the largest messenger app in terms of users, has a similar policy to Telegram. Meta has complied with over 301,000 requests from authorities since July 2013, providing user data for over 77% of the total 528,000 legal requests received.
Overall, while Telegram’s policy update may raise privacy concerns, it is a step taken to ensure the safety of its users and prevent criminal activity. Similar practices are already in place with other popular messaging apps.