by NURUL NAJMIN ABU BAKAR

THE messaging app Telegram has expressed its willingness to cooperate with countries worldwide by providing user IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities upon request, if backed by a search warrant or other legitimate requests.

Its CEO, Pavel Durov (picture), said in a Telegram post to users yesterday that changes to the platform’s terms of service and privacy policy are aimed at preventing criminal activities.

“Although 99.999% of Telegram users are not involved in crime, the 0.001% who engage in illegal activities tarnish the entire platform’s reputation and endanger the interests of nearly one billion users,” he said in the post.

According to a report by the BBC, this announcement marks a significant shift for Telegram after Durov was detained by French authorities last month at an airport in northern Paris.

The co-founder of the app was accused of allowing various forms of crime on his platform, including complicity in enabling illegal transactions by organised criminal groups, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros (RM2.43 million).

In a statement, the Paris prosecutor’s office said the charges against Durov include failure to communicate with authorities, complicity in cases related to child sexual abuse material, and drug trafficking, as well as implementing encryption technology without proper declaration.

Durov, who denies the accusations, criticised the French authorities following his detention.

The arrest of the 39-year-old CEO has also sparked a debate over the future of freedom of speech on the internet. — TMR