As per legal requests, Telegram will now furnish phone numbers and IP addresses.

Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, announced that the messaging platform will begin to comply with legal requests by providing users’ IP addresses and phone numbers.

Bloomberg, which initially reported this shift in policy, highlighted that Telegram has been known for its reluctance to respond to takedown requests and has frequently disregarded inquiries regarding individuals suspected of criminal activities.

In conjunction with this policy change, Telegram is enhancing its moderation efforts. Durov indicated that the platform will employ artificial intelligence alongside a human moderation team to eliminate “problematic” content from its search results. He also encouraged users to report any unsafe or illegal content to facilitate its removal.

The impact of these changes on Telegram’s appeal among individuals involved in illicit activities, as well as on law enforcement’s ability to prosecute such individuals, remains uncertain. While providing IP addresses and phone numbers could assist in tracking users’ actions elsewhere, Telegram offers various anonymizing features, including disappearing messages, end-to-end encryption, and the option to use the service without a SIM card. The platform’s FAQ resumes asserting that “To this day, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user messages to third parties, including governances.”

In August, Durov faced arrest in France for alleged crimes associated with Telegram and was ordered to remain in the country, a charge he denies.

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