Internet Telegram wants to give authorities more data on suspects

The chat service Telegram will share more information with investigators following the temporary arrest of its founder Pawel Durow. In future, Telegram will provide authorities with the telephone number and IP address of suspects upon official request.

This was stated in a new version of the service's privacy policy. Previously, this was only intended for suspected terrorists.

However, it now refers to suspected "criminal acts" in general. At the same time, Telegram will carry out a legal assessment of the request before the information is passed on. Under certain circumstances, the IP address can provide clues as to a user's whereabouts.

Durow wrote in a post on Telegram that the change was intended to prevent misuse of the online service's search function, which some had used "to sell illegal items". He was detained in France for several days, has been released on bond and is not allowed to leave France.

Investigators in Paris accuse Durov of not cooperating sufficiently with the authorities. He is suspected of being complicit in drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud and several offenses in connection with child abuse. Telegram has also often been accused of not taking sufficient action against criminal activities. The service has always denied this.

SDA