Instant messaging platform Telegram has yielded to legal pressure following the arrest of CEO Pavel Durov in France, where he faces charges related to the alleged dissemination of child sexual abuse materials.
On Monday, Durov announced that Telegram will now provide users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities upon request. This policy shift aims to address the platform’s reputation for being “notoriously non-responsive” to takedown requests and ignoring inquiries about suspected criminals.
Durov also revealed the establishment of a human moderation team and AI tools to remove “problematic” content from search results, urging users to report unsafe or unlawful content for review and potential removal.
The extent to which these changes will affect Telegram’s appeal to individuals engaged in illegal activities remains uncertain. The platform now provides users with various anonymizing options, including vanishing messages, end-to-end encryption, and the ability to use the service without a SIM card.
However, users’ IP addresses and phone numbers could still assist in tracking their activities elsewhere.
