Following the August 2024 arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France, the messaging platform has significantly increased its sharing of user data with law enforcement agencies, according to recent research findings.
Telegram increases user data sharing after CEO arrest in France
Durov, a dual citizen of France and Russia, was detained amid an investigation into criminal activities facilitated by Telegram. Authorities had targeted him due to allegations that the application enabled organized crime and his refusal to cooperate with legal inquiries. He was released after a few days in custody and subsequently announced plans to improve the platform’s compliance with legal requests.
The updated policy, effective September 2024, allows Telegram to share users’ IP addresses and phone numbers if they are suspects in criminal cases that violate its Terms of Service. This change coincided with Durov’s legal troubles, prompting the platform to make significant adjustments to its data-sharing practices.
Research conducted by two experts, including a member of Human Rights Watch, revealed a dramatic uptick in data requests post-arrest. In the fourth quarter of 2024 alone, Telegram received 900 requests from U.S. authorities, compared to just 14 in the preceding three quarters, marking an increase of over 6,000%. In the United Kingdom, there were 139 requests in Q4, up from three in the previous quarters, reflecting a 4,500% rise.
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Overall, approximately 2,253 users’ IP addresses or phone numbers were shared with U.S. law enforcement in 2024, surpassing the total of 108 users from previous years. Data from India highlighted an even greater increase, with 14,641 requests affecting 23,535 users during the year. India recorded 7,649 requests in Q4 alone, a significant surge from approximately 2,000 in each of the first three quarters. The transparency data also revealed that German and French authorities targeted around 2,000 users in total.
Telegram operates a bot that provides transparency reports specific to each user’s jurisdiction, outlining the number of law enforcement requests for IP addresses and phone numbers as well as the number of affected users. Additionally, the company plans to publish an annual DSA transparency report for 2024 later this month, in line with the EU’s Digital Services Act, which is aimed at curtailing illegal online activities.
The increase in user data sharing also aligns with a broader trend where Telegram has been utilized for various forms of cybercrime, including the sale of illegal goods and the distribution of stolen data. Although several cybercrime groups announced their departure from the platform following Durov’s arrest, cybercrime intelligence firm KELA indicated that the overall landscape had not significantly changed by December 2024.
Telegram continues to emphasize the necessity of valid legal orders, stating that all requests will undergo legal scrutiny. The implications of these policy changes will likely be better assessed in the next transparency report scheduled for April 2025.
Featured image credit: Lana Codes/Unsplash
