Messaging app Telegram will provide users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities in response to applicable legal requests, according to CEO Pavel Durov.
The platform changed its terms of service to deter criminals from abusing it, Durov said in a Telegram post on Monday. The move comes less than a month after his arrest in France, where he faces charges of alleged complicity in distributing child sexual abuse material.
The move represents a significant departure from Telegram’s approach to government data requests and its reputation for relaxed moderation. The United Arab Emirates-based platform has been notoriously unresponsive to takedown requests from governments around the world and has often ignored requests for information about suspected criminals.
The app, using artificial intelligence (AI) and a team of moderators, has now started hiding problematic content from its search results as part of its efforts to prevent abuse, Durov said.
In August, French prosecutors charged the Russian-born Durov in connection with alleged crimes committed on the app. The case features a billionaire CEO as the head of a company that refused to provide police with information to help them legally wiretap suspected criminals.
Durov, who has been ordered to remain in France during the investigation, denies the allegations.
Under Durov, Telegram has drawn the ire of governments ranging from the European Union to authoritarian regimes in Russia and Iran. It was used by protesters who wanted to organize against the government, and at the same time it became a center for conspiracy theorists and extremists.
White supremacists in the US, for example, have been using Telegram for years to coordinate attacks on energy infrastructure.
The Kremlin tried to block Telegram in 2018, only to reverse course two years later after failing to shut down the service. When the ban was lifted, the Russian regulator said Durov had signaled he would help fight extremism and terrorism.
Durov’s arrest led to a series of policy changes at Telegram. Earlier this month, Telegram disabled new media uploads, which Durov said was aimed at stopping bots and scammers.
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