Telegram about to disclose private information to Authorities!

On August 24, Pavel Durov, CEO of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget Airport. This arrest occurred a month and a half after the launch of a judicial investigation into no fewer than twelve charges, most of which pertain to organized crime. He was subsequently indicted on August 28 for twelve offenses, including “complicity in managing an online platform to facilitate illicit transactions in organized crime,” “refusal to provide authorities with necessary information (…) required for the execution (…) of legally authorized interceptions,” and “money laundering of crimes or misdemeanors in organized crime.”

What is Telegram?
Telegram Messenger is a free, cross-platform instant messaging application and service hosted in the cloud. The first version was launched in 2013 by the Russian brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov, founders of VKontakte (Russia’s leading social network). Initially, they created this app to allow communication outside the surveillance of Russian secret services, particularly the FSB (Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation).
In March 2014, Telegram announced having 35 million monthly users and 15 million daily active users. By 2021, they claimed to have surpassed 500 million active users.

Why do fraudsters use Telegram?
Unlike platforms like Facebook or Instagram, Telegram is known for its leniency regarding illegal content. Until now, they had no real obligation to disclose information to the competent authorities. This has allowed fraudsters to benefit from a certain level of confidentiality. Another factor that makes this platform appealing to fraudsters is the lack of moderation, which fosters criminal activity and misinformation.

What are the consequences of this indictment?
Following this indictment, the CEO of Telegram sought to demonstrate good faith and cooperated with the French judiciary. Telegram has made changes to its privacy policy and will now be able to share the IP addresses and phone numbers of certain users with authorities in response to a “legal and valid request.”
This marks a significant policy shift. Previously, the only reason for disclosure was suspicion of terrorist activities.
He also announced efforts to improve moderation on the platform. Until now, only artificial intelligence was used. He stated that they would strengthen their processes with human moderators to make the environment safer.

What will fraudsters do next?
This topic is already generating significant discussion on the Darknet and among communities of experts in Fraud Prevention (LCLF – Lutte Contre La Fraude). Malicious communities will likely turn to other platforms like Signal as an alternative. Another possibility is that we may see the emergence of new tools to meet the need for “confidentiality.”

We will, of course, keep you informed of all developments related to this announcement.