The official bot for reporting illegal information distributed on Telegram has launched in Russia. Previously, it was only available to users in Europe.
When users from Russia tried to use the bot, an error message appeared. It stated that it was not available in the region. Experts suggested that this was due to claims by the French authorities against Telegram. However, the bot later became available to Russian users as well.
In addition, the messenger's privacy policy has changed. Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced that law enforcement agencies will transfer user data: IP addresses and phone numbers in response to "reasonable requests" regarding rule violations.
We have made it clear that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules may be disclosed to the relevant authorities in response to reasonable legal requests.
As a reminder, Durov was detained in France on August 24. He is suspected of complicity in various crimes (drug trafficking, crimes against children, fraud) due to insufficient moderation in Telegram.
The businessman was released on bail of 5 million euro. He is prohibited from leaving France. Durov emphasized that he is not responsible for how people use his platform. He called his prosecution incorrect. Some experts believe that Durov's detention is related to the desire of European authorities to obtain encryption keys to the messenger.
Read more on the topic:
Telegram banned in the Ministry of Industry and Trade
Durov arrested in France: what awaits the founder of Telegram
Telegram updates private chat moderation policy after Durov's detention
