Telegram to share user data with authorities as part of ongoing criminal investigations

In an attempt to check for criminal activity on the platform, Popular messaging app Telegram has announced that it will give users' IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities in response to valid legal requests. The move, seen as a major policy reversal, was announced by Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in a post. He further clarified that such data disclosures will be included in its periodic transparency reports.

 "We've made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests," Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said in a post.

To that end, the company further states -

"If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you're a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities."

The company further noted that the service may collect metadata such as IP address, devices and Telegram apps used, and the history of username changes to tackle spam, abuse, and other violations.

Along with the changes, there is also now an update to its search feature to remove problematic content from search results and a new mechanism for users to report illegal search terms and material through the @SearchReport bot for subsequent review and removal by a human moderation team.