After the arrest of Telegram founder, information from thousands of users shared with police
Since the arrest of its founder last year, messaging app Telegram has increased its cooperation with law enforcement worldwide, sharing details about thousands more users. In the U.S., Telegram handed over 108 IP addresses or phone numbers to police in connection with 14 cases during the first nine months of 2024. In the fourth quarter, Telegram provided details of 2.14 users to U.S. agencies in response to 900 law enforcement requests.
More Cooperation in India
India saw the most cooperation between Telegram and law enforcement, with the company providing details of 23,535 users in response to 14,641 requests from Indian authorities in 2024. The arrest of Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov in France followed years of frustration from law enforcement due to the company’s lack of assistance in investigations compared to other social networks and messaging platforms. Telegram’s decision to provide more information to law enforcement, along with changes to the platform’s search function, aimed to deter criminals from exploiting the platform’s privacy features for illicit activities.
