Telegram Will Share User Data With Cops
The head of controversial messaging app Telegram says it will now comply with some legal requests for information about users. Russian business owner Pavel Durov announced the policy change just weeks after being arrested in France and charged with enabling criminal activity.
Telegram is a messaging app similar to WhatsApp in that the content of messages is encrypted, to the point that even the operators of the app can't read private messages. It has a couple of significant differences that likely affect the type of people that use it, however.
One is that unlike WhatsApp's limit of 1,000 people in a messaging group, Telegram allows up to 200,000 members in a group, while individual users can have a personal "channel" that lets them send messages to millions of people. That means information - and misinformation - can spread incredibly quickly. (Source: bbc.co.uk)
12 Criminal Charges
The other is that, until now, Telegram has generally been extremely uncooperative with law enforcement authorities seeking information about users. The result has been a distinctive user base that includes people trying to communicate without detection by authoritarian regimes seeking to silence political critics, and people engaging in activity that would be recognized as criminal in most countries.
Last month Durov was arrested at an airport near Paris, questioned for several days, and charged with twelve counts relating to Telegram enabling illegal activity by users and his failure to cooperate with the police. The indictment said Durov had made it possible for users to share software for attacking databases, distribute indecent images of children, and engage in drug trafficking.
Court Orders Respected
Durov now says Telegram will change its privacy policy and the company will share IP addresses and phone numbers of users with law enforcement authorities if and when they get a valid legal request such as a court order. (Source: theguardian.com)
He added that the app will now use artificial intelligence to identify potentially illegal content and hide it in search results. That may not be enough to satisfy laws in some countries that required such messages and posts to be removed or blocked altogether.
What's Your Opinion?
Do you know anyone who uses Telegram? Is it a smart move to make this policy change? What, if any, information should apps and websites be forced to give to law enforcement agencies?
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Comments
And.. there you have it...
The thin edge of the wedge is here.. and it's a serious problem for freedom worldwide. The only tool left to people seeking sanctuary from oppresive and totalitarian regimes is this ability to communicate anonymously. It's no surprise Russia did it first, aither. From now on anyone using programs such as tha could be considered involved in "criminal activity" , even when they're not. I was dreading this development for years, as it's the first step to worldwide totalitarianism. IMHO, if people don't say no now, and stand up for freedom from intrusive government activity, it'll be too late.
Sheeple
I recently realised that most people don't WANT to be free! Humans are a herd animal and the majority aren't just willing to accept an overlord, they actively WANT someone to tell them what to do!