Durov confirms: Telegram will reveal user phone numbers and IP addresses to authorities upon request

(Patria) - Telegram will reveal user phone numbers and IP addresses to authorities upon their request, said the founder and CEO of this messaging application Pavel Durov yesterday, reports RSE.

"To further deter criminals from abusing Telegram search, we have updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, ensuring they are consistent worldwide.

We have made it clear that IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules may be disclosed to competent authorities in response to valid legal requests.

Over the past few weeks, a dedicated team of moderators, using AI, has made Telegram Search much safer. All problematic content we identified in Search is no longer available," Durov wrote on Telegram.

Durov, a native of Russia, was detained last month in Paris and later released on a $5.5 million bail for alleged "complicity in operating an internet platform to facilitate illegal transactions within an organized gang".

French prosecutors accuse the 39-year-old Durov of complicity in allowing drug trafficking and the sharing of child sexual abuse material on Telegram, and for refusing to share documents requested by authorities investigating illegal activities on the app.

After being released on bail, Durov – who holds citizenship of France, as well as Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean archipelago of Saint Kitts and Nevis – said in early September that his arrest was a "mistake".

He then admitted that Telegram "is not perfect" and that "growing pains" had made it easier for criminals to abuse the platform, but Durov said the app was driven by "the intention to do good and defend people's fundamental rights, especially where they are violated".

Last week, the National Cyber Security Coordination Center of Ukraine, a country fighting a Russian invasion since February 2022, banned the use of Telegram for state officials, military personnel, and employees of critical infrastructure, citing security concerns.