Independent website 404 Media first revealed that in 2024 Telegram has fulfilled more than a dozen law enforcement data requests from the U.S. authorities. At the end of September, Telegram updated its privacy policy informing users that it will share users’ phone numbers and IP addresses with law enforcement in response to valid legal requests. Telegram fulfilled over a dozen U.S. law enforcement data requests this year, potentially revealing the IP addresses or phone numbers of 100+ users. “If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you’re a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. In the past, Telegram claimed that it has never supported law enforcement investigations, however recently it has updated its policy on data sharing with authorities. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. In India, our largest market, we satisfied 2461 legal requests in Q1, 2151 in Q2, and 2380 in Q3.” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Telegram will comply with requests from law enforcement if the user under investigation is found to be violating the platform’s rules. If any data is shared, we will include such occurrences in a quarterly transparency report published at: ;reads the updated privacy policy. According to the “Transparency report for the period 01.01.24–30.09.24,” the number of “Fulfilled requests from the United States of America for IP address and/or phone number: 14. “For example, in Brazil, we disclosed data for 75 legal requests in Q1 (January-March) 2024, 63 in Q2, and 65 in Q3. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The social media platform “potentially revealed” that it has shared the IP addresses or phone numbers of over 100 users with law enforcement. The company announced that data shared with authorities will be disclosed in the company’s quarterly transparency reports, accessible via a bot. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
This Cyber News was published on securityaffairs.com. Publication date: Thu, 03 Oct 2024 06:43:06 +0000