Telegram recently announced significant changes to its privacy policy. Co-founder and General Director Pavel Durov revealed on September 23, 2024, that the platform would be strengthening its moderation and would now be required to disclose certain users’ data at the request of authorities.
Moving forward, the messaging service will disclose IP addresses and user phone numbers for legal requests. To combat illegal content, the company has enlisted a team of moderators and artificial intelligence. Additionally, a special bot, @searchreport, has been launched for reporting prohibited content.
These changes come in response to allegations from France, accusing Telegram of aiding in the dissemination of materials involving sexual violence against children, drug trafficking, hacker tools, and money laundering. Durov also faced accusations of withholding user data from authorities. France issued an arrest warrant for Durov and his brother Nicholas on March 25, 2024, after they refused to identify a user linked to a case of child sexual violence. Durov is currently free but unable to leave France until the investigation concludes.
In light of Telegram’s updated policies and increased efforts to combat abuse on the platform, cybercriminals have already begun seeking alternative communication channels. Some groups and activists have announced plans to switch to platforms such as Signal, Session, Jabber, and Tox. Discussions on hacker forums about the use of these messengers and their pros and cons have emerged.
While Signal and Session emphasize confidentiality, they lack some of Telegram’s features, such as bots and large groups. These platforms also do not offer an open API, limiting their appeal to cybercriminals. Decentralized messengers like Tox, Jabber, and Matrix are also being considered as alternatives, but they come with their own limitations in functionality and reliability.
Despite the discussions surrounding a potential shift to other platforms, Telegram remains popular among attackers due to its vast user base and advanced features. The platform’s all-in-one accessibility continues to attract cybercriminals, although some may opt for other options to enhance the privacy of their illicit activities in the future.