By 
Telegram, the messaging platform known for its strong stance on user privacy, has shared data of more than 100 U.S. users with law enforcement agencies. This shouldn’t come as a surprise since reporting on it’s shift in privacy, to help law enforcement.
Telegram’s New Transparency
The Numbers According to a recent report from independent investigative website 404 Media, Telegram has responded to multiple law enforcement data requests from U.S. authorities in 2024.
The specifics of this data sharing are as follows:
- 4 fulfilled requests from U.S. law enforcement
- 108 affected users
- data shared includes IP addresses and phone numbers
Context: Durov’s Arrest
The policy change follows the arrest of Pavel Durov by French police in August 2024. This incident, related to Telegram’s previous unwillingness to provide user data in a child abuse investigation, appears to have played a major role to the company’s reconsideration of its privacy policies.
Global Perspective
Telegram’s cooperation extends beyond U.S. authorities. Durov’s company shared additional data on legal requests from other countries:
- Brazil: 75 legal requests fulfilled in Q1 2024, 63 in Q2, and 65 in Q3
- India: 2461 legal requests satisfied in Q1, 2151 in Q2, and 2380 in Q3
Implications and Questions
As Telegram adapts to this new approach, several important questions arise:
- How will this policy shift impact the application’s user base and functionality?
- Can Telegram still maintain its reputation as a secure messaging platform?
- What measures are in place to prevent potential misuse of this new cooperation?
- Where will users seeking complete anonymity turn to next? While Signal has been a popular alternative, this shift may create an opportunity for new, more secure and anonymous encryption apps to emerge and gain traction.
Photo by Oberon Copeland @veryinformed.com on Unsplash