Telegram reports spike in sharing user data with law enforcement
elegram, a widely used messaging app, has seen a significant increase in the number of data requests fulfilled for law enforcement agencies over the past year. This change follows the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov by French authorities in August, due to the company’s previous refusal to provide user data in a child exploitation investigation. Following Durov’s arrest, Telegram adjusted its policy regarding abuse report handling.
The latest transparency data from Telegram, accessible only through a Telegram account and limited to the user’s region, reveals that the app provided phone numbers and IP addresses to U.S. authorities on 900 occasions in 2024, impacting 2,253 users. This marks a substantial rise compared to earlier in the year, where only 14 requests were fulfilled, affecting 108 users. This data is supported by a global crowdsourced map of requests from Meduza.
In India, Telegram handed over phone numbers and IP addresses on 14,641 occasions, affecting 23,535 users. In the United Kingdom, the app provided data 142 times, impacting 293 users, a significant increase from previous single-digit figures. These statistics underscore Telegram’s shift in data-sharing practices with law enforcement.
The changes in Telegram’s data-sharing policies have raised concerns about user privacy and data protection. As the app continues to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, users and privacy advocates are closely monitoring how these practices align with data protection regulations, particularly in the context of GDPR compliance.
Source: Telegram reports spike in sharing user data with law enforcement | TechCrunch
