Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov on Wednesday mentioned the messaging platform has been constructed to defend activists and bizarre folks from “corrupt governments.”
Durov mentioned that there have been discussions surrounding modifications to Telegram’s privateness coverage and considerations amongst customers a couple of attainable shift within the platform’s stance on privateness. Addressing the problem, Durov clarified that whereas Telegram has cooperated with authorized authorities for years, its foundational ideas stay unchanged.
“Telegram was constructed to guard activists and bizarre folks from corrupt governments and firms,” he mentioned. “We don’t permit criminals to abuse our platform or evade justice.”
Durov added that since 2018, the messaging app has had the flexibility to share the IP addresses and telephone numbers of criminals with legislation enforcement—offered the authorized requests are correctly fashioned and verified.
In August this 12 months, Pavel Durov was arrested in France on expenses associated to content material moderation on Telegram. Whereas many speculated about potential hyperlinks to cryptocurrency, the fees didn’t point out crypto in any respect.
As a substitute, they targeted on allegations that Durov had allowed unlawful content material, together with baby pornography and drug gross sales, to unfold on the platform. This incident intensified the scrutiny of Telegram’s strategy to consumer privateness and content material management.
Sharing information on Telegram’s cooperation with authorized requests, he famous that the platform has adhered to requests in a number of international locations.
For instance, Durov mentioned the corporate disclosed information in response to greater than 200 authorized requests in Brazil this 12 months. In India, Telegram’s largest market, the platform processed virtually 7,000 requests because the begin of the 12 months.
This 12 months, European authorities additionally elevated the usage of the official communication channel, in compliance with the EU’s Digital Providers Act (DSA), leading to a better variety of requests throughout Q3.
Regardless of the disclosure of knowledge below particular circumstances, Durov made it clear that Telegram’s insurance policies haven’t essentially modified. The corporate just lately streamlined its privateness coverage to align with its ideas throughout totally different areas.
“Our core ideas haven’t modified,” Durov acknowledged, reiterating that whereas Telegram strives to adjust to related native legal guidelines, this compliance doesn’t come at the price of compromising its values of freedom and privateness.
Edited by Stacy Elliott.
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