The messaging app Telegram fulfilled 900 inquiries from the US requesting personal information about its users, with the majority coming in after CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in France.
According to a Jan. 7 report from 404 Media, Telegram fulfilled 14 requests for “IP addresses and/or phone numbers” from the US between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, 2024. However, the platform reportedly responded to 900 total inquiries from the US for the year, affecting 2,253 users, suggesting that the number of requests escalated after October.
On Aug. 24, French authorities arrested Durov over allegations Telegram facilitated criminal activity. The CEO said in October that the platform had been providing IP addresses and phone numbers of alleged criminals to authorities in different countries upon request since 2018 — a policy disclosed in Telegram’s privacy policy.
X post from Telegram CEO after his Aug. 24 arrest. Source: Pavel Durov
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French authorities have barred Durov from leaving the country, as the legal case is ongoing at the time of publication. The CEO reported in September that Telegram had more than 950 million monthly active users, with many in the crypto industry suggesting they preferred the app.
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