September 23, 2024 at 03:41PM
Telegram’s updated privacy policy grants law enforcement access to users’ phone numbers and IP addresses upon valid court orders for criminal activity violating the platform’s Terms of Service. CEO Pavel Durov announced this change, also revealing enhancements to search features to combat illicit content. However, Telegram’s transparency submissions bot is still in development.
Based on the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
– Telegram has updated its privacy policy to allow sharing of users’ phone numbers and IP addresses with law enforcement in cases where a user is suspected of criminal activities that violate the platform’s Terms of Service.
– The platform plans to include such occurrences in a quarterly transparency report, but the transparency submissions bot is currently not functional.
– Telegram has enhanced its search feature to address the widespread abuse to sell and promote illegal goods, with a dedicated team working to remove problematic content from search results. Users are encouraged to report illegal or unsafe material through the @SearchReport bot.
– The CEO emphasized that the search feature is intended for finding friends and discovering news, not for promoting illegal goods, and measures have been implemented to discourage criminals from misusing it.
– The CEO, Pavel Durov, has been involved in legal issues, including being arrested in France in connection with an investigation into Telegram’s use for fraud, drug trafficking, and illegal content distribution.
– Additionally, Ukraine’s National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCCC) has banned Telegram on all devices used within government agencies, military units, and critical infrastructure due to national security concerns.
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