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Almost a month after Pavel Durov’s arrest, Telegram has agreed to provide user IP and phone data to authorities when responding to legal requests.
The platform will also use a team of moderators and AI to start removing “problematic” content from search results in the app, according to Durov. Users will be asked to report illegal and unsafe content to the team for removal.
Historically, the UAE-based messaging app has been “notoriously non-responsive to takedown requests,” according to Bloomberg, and has also ignored government requests for information about suspected criminals using the app.
This latest change comes from several new features announced on September 6th, following Pavel Durov’s arrest on August 24th. Those include:
- Disabling new media uploads on Telegraph, the platform’s blogging tool, to stop scammers and bots.
- Replacing the People Nearby feature with “Businesses Nearby.”
Telegram’s Latest Change May Not be Enough to Deter Criminals
Whether these moves deter criminal activity users from using the app remains to be seen. Though Telegram will now provide law enforcement IP addresses and phone numbers, plenty of privacy features can be utilized to anonymize communications, including end-to-end encryption, disappearing messages, and the ability to use Telegram without needing a SIM card.
In the past, the app has been used by extremists, conspiracy theorists, and protesters to coordinate action and attacks and has been criticized by global governments. Yet Durov claims that only 0.01% of Telegram users are involved in criminal activity, giving the platform a bad name.
Experts believe that this figure is unrealistic and amounts to downplaying the serious issues faced by the platform.
Whether that’s true or not, Telegram is certainly scrambling to improve its compliance, and its public image, following Durov’s arrest.
