These changes have been made after the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France.
Popular encrypted messaging platform Telegram announced a major change in its privacy policy on Monday. After this change, the app is now allowed to share users’ IP addresses and phone numbers with judicial authorities in criminal investigations. According to the news of turkiyetoday, these changes have been made after the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France last month. The CEO is accused of promoting illegal activities including drug trafficking and distribution of child sexual abuse material through Telegram.
What was the policy earlier
According to the news, Durov, who posted the news of the policy update on Telegram, said that this step was necessary to strike the right balance between privacy and security. Durov said that striking the right balance between privacy and safety is not easy. Earlier, Telegram had agreed to share user data only in cases of suspected terrorism. In the new terms, it has been extended to cover any criminal investigation.
French authorities detained Durov in August, accusing his company of failing to prevent Telegram’s misuse by criminals. Telegram has long been a target of criticism for being a haven for illegal activity due to its end-to-end encryption and minimal data collection policies.
Telegram CEO denies the allegations
Durov, a billionaire Russian-born entrepreneur who holds French citizenship, was released on €5M bail but must remain in France while the investigation continues. While the Telegram CEO has denied the allegations, he has called the French legal actions a misuse of outdated laws. Durov argued in a September 5 post that using laws that predate smartphones to accuse the CEO of crimes committed by third parties on that platform is a misguided approach.
