Telegram CEO, Pavel Durov recently confirmed that Telegram has been sharing its users’ data with authorities since 2018. This confirmation has surfaced amid allegations that Telegram has failed to comply with European standards in sharing users’ data with authorities to curtail criminal activities.
Telegram was previously alleged that it does not cooperate with authorities in sharing its users’ data, a feature that criminals used to exploit as they felt complete freedom in their activities on Telegram. The Nth Room case of 2020 in South Korea is a typical example that involved cybersex trafficking through Telegram. While investigating, the South Korean police had sent seven requests for cooperation but Telegram had not responded a single time.
Similar allegations of non-cooperation led to Durov’s arrest in France in August 2024 where he was alleged of being complicit in illegal and criminal activities taking place on Telegram. He was released on bail later and since then, there have been clarifications by Telegram regarding its compliance with the authorities.
Durov had previously defended Telegram that it is not being used by criminal elements and that Telegram removes millions of harmful posts and channels every day. He also revealed that Telegram has an official representative in the EU that responds to EU requests.
Pavel Durov’s recent confirmation that the platform has been sharing user data with authorities since 2018 seems to be aimed at clearing up previous misunderstandings regarding data sharing. He clarified that Telegram has been able to disclose IP addresses/ phone numbers of criminals to authorities since 2018, after proper confirmation of a legal request via relevant communication lines. He also mentioned Telegram’s Transparency Bot feature which was created to display processed data requests.
Though these clarifications regarding data sharing question Durov’s image as a champion of free speech as he previously had denied such requests by Russian authorities on VKontakte, they also help to bridge the trust deficit between Telegram and the European authorities. These steps would help Telegram keep operating in the European sphere without the fear of getting banned.