Telegram users suspected of terrorism will now have their personal data turned over to the authorities on court orders under the messaging app’s new privacy policy.
Founded by Russian tech maverick Pavel Durov, Telegram has been engaged in a long-running legal battle with security services over their demands for access to users’ online communications. Russia’s media regulator began enforcing a court order to block access to Telegram earlier this year, blacklisting millions of IP addresses.
“If Telegram receives a court order that confirms you’re a terror suspect, we may disclose your IP addresses and phone number to the relevant authorities,” reads Telegram’s new policy published Tuesday.
“So far, this has never happened,” the messenger said, adding that it would disclose such cases in a biannual transparency report.
In a Telegram post, Durov said the new privacy policy is unlikely to end the messenger’s standoff with Russia.
“We’re not considering any requests from the Russian [security] services,” he wrote.
