Cyber Crime
Telegram CEO Pledges to Assist Police in Arresting Cyber Criminals
Telegram, the popular cloud-based desktop and mobile messaging app, has rolled out a significant update. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced that the company will now cooperate with law enforcement authorities by sharing user details if they are found to be involved in illegal activities. This information could include users’ phone numbers and IP addresses. The move comes in response to last month’s incident where French authorities arrested Durov, accusing Telegram of failing to cooperate in investigations regarding illicit activities on the platform.
Curbing Inappropriate Searches on Telegram
In line with these new policies, Durov also shared that Telegram has updated its terms of service. One of the major updates is related to the platform’s search function. Telegram has implemented stricter controls to prevent users from searching for or sharing illegal content. If any user attempts to search for or distribute prohibited material through Telegram’s search icon, their details will be forwarded directly to government authorities.
Durov emphasized that the search feature is designed to help users find friends or access legitimate news, not to promote or enable illegal activities. To support these changes, Telegram will be leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that searches related to drugs, scams, or child exploitation are blocked from appearing in search results.
Regular Telegram users need not worry, as these updates are not expected to affect anyone using the platform for legitimate purposes, such as reading news or connecting with friends.