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Telegram will now provide authorities with user data, including individuals’ phone numbers and IP addresses, in response to valid legal requests, CEO Pavel Durov said Monday.
The major shift in the app’s terms of service comes as Durov faces charges in France for refusing to cooperate with law enforcement investigating criminal activity on the messaging platform. Writing on Telegram, Durov said the changes “should discourage criminals” from abusing the app, adding that the app will begin using artificial intelligence and human moderators to prevent problematic content from appearing in its search results.
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Authorities worldwide have accused Telegram of being a hotbed of criminal activity, with allegations of tacitly enabling drug and human trafficking operations, and the exploitation of child sexual content. The app had become notorious for being non-responsive to official requests to take down content or provide user data for law enforcement purposes.
Notably, after the Russian-born Durov was arrested in August in France, many cybercriminals began ditching the app in anticipation that it might change its content moderation policies, 404 Media reported.