(Paris) Telegram has modified its moderation rules in order to collaborate more with the judicial authorities, indicated Monday the founder and boss of the application Pavel Durov, indicted in France due to the publication of illegal content on his platform.
“We have clarified that the IP addresses and mobile phone numbers of those who violate our rules may be communicated to the authorities in response to valid court requests,” Durov announced on his Telegram channel.
Founded in 2013, the messaging service, which has always claimed to respect European laws, has been committed since its inception to never revealing information about its users.
The previous rules only provided for cooperation with the courts in the event that a user was declared “suspected of terrorist activities” by a court.
Arrested in France at the end of August, Pavel Durov was charged with numerous offences linked to his messaging application and is banned from leaving French territory.
In a lengthy message on his platform in early September, the 39-year-old billionaire said it was “surprising” to be held responsible for content published by other people.
Mr Durov acknowledged, however, that the sharp rise in the number of Telegram users – which he estimates at 950 million worldwide – had created a situation that “made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform”.
The boss promised to make moderation of his messaging “a source of pride” from now on, announcing on September 6 a first round of measures aimed at strengthening it.
Among the new features highlighted by Pavel Durov, the arrival of the geolocation function “Businesses Nearby”, which will only present “legitimate and verified companies”, instead of “People Nearby” which allowed to get in touch with users located nearby.