14 DAY TRIAL // Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram messaging app, said his company is willing to help any country in their terrorist investigations as long as a court order is provided, but he also offered one name that wouldn’t get his support anytime soon: Russia.
In updated privacy settings for Telegram, Durov explains that user information would be provided to investigators based on a court order, adding that such requests would be then included in transparency reports.
“If Telegram receives a court order that confirms you're a terror suspect, we may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities,” the new privacy policy reads. “So far, this has never happened. When it does, we will include it in a semiannual transparency report.”
Durov went on to explain that Telegram would not cooperate with Russia, emphasizing that what Kremlin wants to obtain is access to messages of all users.
Russia considering ban removal
Telegram was banned in Russia earlier this year after Durov refused to provide the local intelligence agencies with access to user conversations. The block, however, was bypassed with VPN apps and similar services, leaving Russian users mostly unaffected by the restriction.
“In Russia, Telegram is asked to disclose not the phone numbers or IP addresses of terrorists based on a court decision, but access to the messages of all users. We do not consider the request of Russian secret services and our confidentiality policy does not affect the situation in Russia,” Durov said, as per AFP.
Telegram’s founder says all the information would be provided to the relevant authorities in order to comply with the European laws on protecting private data.
Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor says it is willing to remove the ban on Telegram if the company agrees with providing access to the service, but Durov says the company is ready to “continue our resistance.”
“Telegram in Russia is outlawed. Every day hundreds of IP addresses are blocked in attempts to stop access to the service,” he said.