Telegram has made changes to its privacy policy, causing many users to worry about how their personal information might be affected.
With the revised policy, Telegram will now cooperate with legal authorities by providing user data, such as IP addresses and phone numbers, when individuals are identified as violating the platform's rules.
Pavel Durov, the company's CEO, announced this update on September 23.
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This change has raised concerns among privacy supporters, who feel it goes against Telegram's original promise of privacy protection, which attracted millions of users.
Even though users are worried, Telegram says the change is needed to fight criminal activity. Durov explained that the updated policy is meant to keep users safe and crack down on harmful content. To help with this, the platform is using a mix of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and human moderators to clean up illegal content on Telegram Search.
Durov stressed:
These measures should discourage criminals. Telegram Search is meant for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods. We won't let bad actors jeopardize the integrity of our platform for almost a billion users.
This update marks a major shift from Telegram's original privacy stance, especially as the platform faces more pressure over its potential use by criminals. The changes come after Durov was arrested in France on August 24, following rising concerns about the app being used for illegal activities.
