Telegram CEO Pavel Durov stated his messaging service was transmission of user data to authorities for years to crack down on prison exercise and that “little has modified” within the app’s privateness insurance policies since his arrest.
The tech mogul dealing with charges in France of facilitating child pornography and different crimes associated to his lax content material moderation coverage posted an merchandise on his private Telegram channel on Wednesday to clarify an earlier message that caused it to appear the corporate is altering its phrases of service.
“My earlier publish could seem to be it is asserting a giant change in how Telegram works. However in actuality, little has modified,” Durov stated in his newest message.
Durov wrote that Telegram has offered IP addresses and telephone numbers of suspected criminals to authorities authorities since 2018.
“Each time we obtained a properly-formed authorized request by way of the related strains of communication, we verified it and revealed the IP addresses/telephone numbers of harmful criminals,” Durov wrote in his newest message.
“This course of was in place lengthy earlier than final week.”
Based on Durov, Telegram has complied with greater than 200 authorized requests from authorities in Brazil and almost 7,000 in India this 12 months alone.
He stated that Telegram’s core ideas haven’t modified and that the corporate has at all times sought to adjust to native legal guidelines “as long as they don’t battle with our values of freedom and privateness.”
“Telegram was created to guard activists and peculiar individuals from corrupt governments and companies – we do not permit criminals to abuse our platform or keep away from justice,” Durov wrote.
Durov defended himself in opposition to accusations by the French authorities that he had allowed prison exercise to run unfettered on his app.
In his first public feedback final month since he was charged in late August, Durov stated he had been personally attacked by the French authorities.
“Utilizing legal guidelines from the pre-smartphone period to accuse a CEO of crimes dedicated by third events on the platform he runs is the mistaken strategy,” Durov wrote in a September 5 Telegram publish.
“Constructing know-how is difficult sufficient already. No innovator will ever construct new instruments in the event that they know they are often personally answerable for potential misuse of these instruments.
Whereas insisting that Telegram will not be “some sort of anarchic paradise,” Durov stated Telegram’s rising variety of customers “causes rising pains that make it simpler for criminals to abuse our platform.”
“That is why I’ve made it a private objective to make sure that we considerably enhance issues on this regard.” We’ve already began this course of internally and I’ll share with you extra particulars about our progress very quickly,” he stated.
The French allegations in opposition to Durov embrace that Telegram was used for little one sexual abuse and drug trafficking materials and that the platform refused to share data or paperwork with investigators when required by regulation.
French investigators detained Durov at Le Bourget airport outdoors Paris in late August and questioned him for 4 days as a part of a wide-ranging investigation that started earlier this 12 months.
Launched on bail, Durov should report back to the police station twice per week.
The Russian-born tycoon has amassed a number of citizenships, together with French.
With pole cables
