Telegram, a popular messaging network famed for its privacy safeguards, has reported a major rise in data exchange with US authorities. In 2024, the company handled 900 requests for user information, affecting more than 2,250 users. This represents a significant increase from just 14 requests completed in the first nine months of the year.
The rise in demand occurred following the arrest of Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, by French authorities in August 2024. Charges against Durov for using Telegram to facilitate criminal activity prompted a change in the company’s long-standing data privacy regulations. In October, Durov said that Telegram had been working with law enforcement since 2018 by giving information such as phone numbers and IP addresses in cases involving significant crimes.
If a valid legal order reveals criminal activity, Telegram’s revised privacy policy explicitly states that it will share user data with judicial authorities. This adjustment marks a substantial break from the platform’s former policy of refusing to share user data, which made it a popular choice for privacy-conscious users as well as criminal actors engaged in unlawful operations.
While Telegram continues to draw millions of users worldwide, including a sizable portion of the bitcoin community, its choice to collaborate with authorities shows the problems of balancing user privacy with regulatory compliance. Telegram announced 950 million monthly active users in late 2024, indicating its ongoing appeal in the face of legislative changes.
This shift highlights the increased pressure on technology businesses to comply with worldwide law enforcement demands, particularly in situations of cybercrime, fraud, and other unlawful acts. For Telegram, this change mirrors a larger trend of greater accountability for digital platforms in a fast-changing regulatory framework.
