Users of the messaging service Telegram are concerned about their privacy after the company announced a significant alteration to its rules.
In response to legitimate legal requests, other popular chat applications like WhatsApp and Meta’s Messenger also give authorities access to user data.
When legitimate legal requests are received, Telegram will provide user data to the appropriate authorities.
The CEO, Pavel Durov, revealed on September 23 that the messaging software will divulge the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who break its rules.
According to author and international blockchain expert Anndy Lian, the policy amendment raises concerns about privacy-preserving technologies because it goes against Telegram’s core values.
Lian said:
“[This] highlights the ongoing tension between regulatory compliance and the protection of user data… The concern is that such compliance could set a precedent, encouraging other privacy-focused services to follow suit, thereby eroding the privacy standards that users have come to expect.”
In response to concerns about the possible misuse of the platform for illicit activities, Telegram’s user guidelines underwent a substantial shift with the implementation of the new policy. August 24 marked the policy change, one-month following Durov’s French arrest.
An upgrade to Telegram’s policies should deter illicit activity: Durov.
The primary goal of Telegram’s latest policy modification is to stop illegal conduct on the network, even though it may cause privacy issues for users of the messenger service.
The app used human reviewers and artificial intelligence algorithms to eliminate any “problematic content” from Telegram Search as part of Durov’s attempts to make Telegram safer.
Durov says the new policy change attempts to discourage illegal activities and make Telegram Search safer for users.
“These measures should discourage criminals. Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won’t let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users.”
As of April 2024, Telegram had over 900 million monthly active users, making it the fourth most popular internet messaging app globally, according to Statista.
Authorities are already receiving user data from Meta and WhatsApp.
Although this policy change by Telegram may surprise some, it is not unheard of among the leading online chat services globally.
Currently the most popular chat software, WhatsApp is well-known for providing law enforcement with user data, as stated in the app’s privacy policy, which reads as follows:
“Based on the circumstances, we may disclose information to law enforcement in response to an emergency disclosure request where we have a good faith reason to believe that the matter involves imminent risk of serious physical injury…”
These guidelines are comparable to Meta’s Messenger, which conforms to court orders.
According to Meta’s policy website, since July 2013, the company has responded to more than 301,000 demands from authorities, releasing user data for more than 77% of the total 528,000 lawful requests received.
