New York () –– Messaging platform Telegram is making some new concessions on user security and privacy following the arrest of its founder and CEO Pavel Durov in France last month.
Durov was arrested and interviewed by French prosecutors on suspicion of criminal activity on the platform, including transactions and human trafficking between gangs, as well as an alleged failure by the company to hand over data related to the investigation. He was later released on bail of US$5.56 million while the investigation continues.
The disclosure sparked a debate about free speech and online criminal activity, but authorities’ concerns weren’t exactly a surprise. The app, which has amassed more than 950 million users, thanks in large part to encryption technology and promises of user privacy, has been criticized for years for its popularity among unsavory internet characters and criminals, such as drug dealers, money launderers and extremists, including white supremacists and terrorist groups like ISIS.
Following his arrest, Telegram said Durov had “nothing to hide” and that it was “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.” Two weeks after his arrest, Durov acknowledged that the app’s “abrupt increase” in users caused growth problems that made it easier for criminals to abuse the platform.
Now, Telegram is making some changes in an effort to reduce criminal activity on the platform, Durov said Monday in a statement. publication in the application. The main one: Telegram updated its terms of service and Privacy Policy to indicate that it will hand over the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate its rules to authorities in response to “valid legal requests.” The platform says it will disclose all user data shared with law enforcement officials in quarterly transparency reports.
“The search feature in Telegram is more powerful than in other messaging apps because it allows users to find public channels and bots,” Durov wrote. “Unfortunately, this feature has been abused by people who violated our Terms and Conditions to sell illegal products.”
He also said that a team of moderators, with the help of artificial intelligence, identified and removed “problematic content” from the public search function. “If you still manage to find something unsafe or illegal in Telegram Search, please report it to us via @SearchReport,” Durov wrote.
Telegram did not immediately respond to ‘s request for comment on the amount of content removed and whether any channels or accounts were banned as a result of the move.
“Telegram Search is designed for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal products,” Durov said.
While the changes may mean less criminal activity in public areas of the platform, they won’t necessarily end illicit use of end-to-end encrypted private chats, where Telegram says it has “no way to decrypt the actual information” in conversations.
It is unclear how the decision to share some user data with law enforcement will affect the ongoing French investigation.
Telegram said it had previously cracked down on some content that violated its rules, including restricting access to several channels associated with or operated by Hamas amid the militant group’s war with Israel. It also removed calls for violence after reports that the app was used to organize far-right and anti-immigrant riots in the United Kingdom.
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