Telegram to Provide More User Data to Governments After CEO’s Arrest

Messaging
app
Telegram
made
significant
changes
to
its
terms
of
service,
chief
executive
officer
Pavel
Durov
said
in
a
post
on
the
app
on
Monday.

The
app’s
privacy
conditions
now
state
that
Telegram
will
now
share
a
user’s
IP
address
and
phone
number
with
judicial
authorities
in
cases
where
criminal
conduct
is
being
investigated.

Telegram-linked
Toncoin

(TON)
declined
about
1%
after
Bloomberg
first
reported
about
the
changes.
The
token
is
currently
trading
at
$5.62.

The
changes
come
after
Durov
was

arrested
in
France
last
month,
when
authorities
alleged
his
company
let
users
abuse
the
app
for
illegal
activities,
including
drug
trafficking,
distribution
of
child
sexual
abuse
material
(CSAM)
and
fraud.

After
his
arrest,
the
Russian-born
promised
changes
and
said
that
“establishing
the
right
balance
between
privacy
and
security
is
not
easy,”
in
a
post
on
the
app.
Earlier
this
month,
Telegram
blocked
users
from
uploading
new
media
in
an
effort
to
stop
bots
and
scammers.

Monday’s
changes
depart
significantly
from
the
app’s
previous
disclosure,
which
stated
that
that
information
would
only
be
shared
if
a
user
was
a
suspect
of
terrorism.

Telegram,
perhaps
the
most
popular
encrypted
messaging
app
on
the
market,
previously
faced
pressure
from
Russian
authorities,
who
attempted
to
ban
the
app
in
2018
and
led
Durov
to
move
to
Europe.

The
39-year-old,
who
denied
any
charges,
has
been
ordered
to
stay
in
France
until
the
investigation
is
closed.
He’s
currently
out
on
bail.