Telegram will now provide your phone number and IP address if you're a criminal suspect.

Telegram has updated its privacy policy to now allow the sharing of a user’s phone number and IP address with authorities if they receive a legitimate request from the appropriate judicial body. This applies when the user is suspected of engaging in criminal activities that breach Telegram's Terms of Service. The company will first conduct a legal review of the request before deciding to disclose the data. Founder Pavel Durov explained in a post on Telegram that the change aims to prevent criminals from misusing the app’s search function, which has been exploited for illegal activities, such as selling illicit goods. He emphasized that Telegram won’t allow bad actors to compromise the platform’s integrity for its nearly one billion users.

Previously, Telegram’s law enforcement policy only applied to terror suspects, but now it extends to those violating the platform’s rules. The company plans to publish details of any information shared with authorities in its quarterly transparency reports. Durov also mentioned that Telegram is using AI to identify and remove problematic content from its search function and has recently made other changes, such as disabling the “People Nearby” feature and pausing media uploads to the anonymous blogging tool Telegraph. These adjustments are part of Telegram’s broader efforts to enhance its moderation policies and address illegal content.