Telegram data security rumors seeded doubts: what you need to know

According to Durov's spokesman, the allegations against him "have no basis"

The world is whispering that Pavel Durov has agreed to hand over Telegram users' data voluntarily. Irina Bolgar, the mother of three children with Pavel Durov, is also contributing to his negative image by "punching holes" in the Russian tech titan's image. But what is the reality?

A spokesman for the Geneva prosecutors claims that an investigation is underway and will not comment further. Durov's spokesman, on the other hand, reports that the accusations "have no basis". However, I Bolgar, who lives in Geneva with their three children, would be "bolder" to speak out on the subject of child abuse if she could and contribute to Durov's burdensome legal problems in Europe^[1].

The criminal charges against Durov in France, relating to disseminating illegal content on the Telegram app, have shocked the technology world. This is one of the first examples of a democratic government prosecuting a top social media leader for what was spread on his platform.

The French authorities detained Durov in August after landing near Paris on a private jet from Azerbaijan on charges including allowing the distribution of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking and fraud, with a prison sentence.

According to the documents related to the criminal complaint, Bolgar's charges, in turn, include unpaid child maintenance. This means that even if Durov finds a way to have the charges dropped in France, he will face further legal embarrassment elsewhere. The latter's story, together with the case against him, opens a window into the private life of Durov, who remains one of the world's least-understood technology tycoons. Although Telegram has almost a billion users, Durov has so far escaped attention.

Despite the whirlwind of action, which does not shy away from trumpeting one 'tune', it is necessary to note the other side of the story, which states that the accused only agreed to give out phone numbers and IP addresses when asked to do so by law enforcement. This is a serious argument.

The playing field is not level for the content of criminal channels

Despite the fact that Durov is accused of authorizing the distribution of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, and fraud, the case of Kaunas, where the police dismantled a Telegram group set up to distribute drugs and arrested two adult suspects, has received no less attention. Frighteningly, the channel operated successfully for another six months after the publicity. This would mean that interdiction actions - although both cases require appropriate solutions - are not taken immediately in certain cases. Why?

In the case of Durov, Swiss prosecutors have not decided whether to bring formal charges against him. However, a children's rights court in Geneva has reportedly suspended the latter's right to personal contact with his children following a complaint from Bolgar. A spokesman for Durov said that he had learned of the charges this summer and that he had hired lawyers to "present the true facts to the Swiss authorities". It is alleged that Bolgar is claiming millions of dollars that he gave her as child support but that she spent on luxury goods.

"Durov has many children and supports each of them equally, with a monthly allowance of USD 10 000 per child," said the spokesman. Durov hopes that the Swiss justice system will resolve this dispute so that the funds embezzled by Bolgar can be used for their intended purpose - the maintenance of the children^[2].

I. Bolgar takes the position that Durov's behaviour changed in 2021, when he allegedly started to abuse her and the children. Around that time, according to Bolgar, Durov began asking her to move to Dubai, but she refused, expressing concern about the United Arab Emirates, where Durov had become a citizen, allegedly giving him the right to take custody of the children.

The last time they saw each other was in September 2022. She warned him that if he did not behave as he should, she would contact the police. So the husband threatened to stop the financial support. Durov reportedly did so from November 2022 because of Bolgar's misuse of cards linked to his bank accounts, spending several million dollars on luxury clothes and jewelry. In March 2023, she went to a police station in Geneva to file a formal complaint against Durov. Although the Geneva prosecutor's office initially refused to accept her complaint, which was filed more than three months after the last episode of violence, on appeal, the court allowed the case to proceed.

Earlier this year, Bolgar brought a civil child support case against Durov in Switzerland, claiming nearly 125 million Swiss francs, worth around 145 million dollars. Moreover, in July, a woman made the first comments about Durov's notoriety in many countries as a sperm donor, suggesting on her Instagram account:

"We must always remain responsible for our children, this is the difference between a sperm donor and a parent", she posted, adding a photo of herself with her three children.

Telegram has been disclosing criminal data to authorities for years

Durov's career began in 2013, when he started to develop what later became Telegram.

In 2014, Durov sold his stake in VKontakte, his first social networking company, claiming that he had been left with no choice after the Russian authorities demanded access to users' data, which he had refused to hand over, and that Telegram had become, in the view of some, a playground for criminals, extremists and terrorists.

A few weeks ago, Durov said that Telegram would provide the IP addresses and phone numbers of rule-breakers to the relevant authorities to deter "bad actors." In a recent statement, he explained that the practice of disclosing the IP addresses and phone numbers of "dangerous criminals" has been used in the past to simplify and unify privacy policies across countries. However, for this to happen, the company had to obtain a properly drafted legal request and legal analysis^[3].

"We have always tried to comply with the relevant local laws - as long as they do not conflict with our values of freedom and privacy," said Durov.

Telegram disclosed data in over 200 legal requests in Brazil this year

Since 2018, Telegram has been disclosing criminals' IP addresses and phone numbers when triggered by legal regulation. According to Durov, this long-term policy ensures compliance without violating the platform's commitment to freedom and privacy.

This year, Telegram disclosed data on 200 legal requests in Brazil. In India, the company's largest market, Telegram has responded to nearly 7,000 legal requests since January. Durov noted that the number of such requests in Europe has increased in recent months as more EU institutions have started to use the legal hotline to make their requests. The latter assures:

"Telegram's disclosure rules are mainly aimed at users who abuse the platform's search function to sell illegal goods".

In recent weeks, Telegram moderators have also used IoT to make the platform's search function safer and prevent problematic content from being inaccessible. According to cybercrime experts, the announcement caused panic among account holders who use the platform for activities such as drug trafficking, child pornography distribution, and money laundering. Unsurprisingly, some hacktivist groups, such as Ghosts of Palestine, RipperSec, and Al Ahad, have announced their intention to leave Telegram or have already started to set up backup channels on, say, Discord.

Some criminals have even discussed developing a customized messaging platform using Telegram's graphical user interface to allow them to continue their activities with less risk^[4].

"Despite these initial responses, there has not yet been a mass exodus of cyber criminals from Telegram," the researchers said. 

However, these discussions indicate a possible future movement.

Due to the charges of illegal activity against Durov, he is currently unable to leave the country

In August French authorities detained Durov in August on a number of charges, including alleged illegal activities related to the Telegram platform. He was released on bail of €5 million but remains under judicial supervision. He cannot leave the country for six months and has to report to a police station twice a week.

P. Durov does not retract his defense of Telegram's privacy changes in the face of user concerns:

"Telegram was created to protect activists and ordinary people from corrupt governments and corporations - we don't allow criminals to abuse our platform or evade justice", he says.

The platform is believed to have made some changes since Durov's arrest in France, for example, at the end of August, the company's FAQ page said: "To date, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user data to third parties, including governments". The phrase "user data" has now been replaced by "user messages". 

Back in early September, Telegram allowed users to report illegal content in private and group chats for moderators to review. Later that month, Durov announced that Telegram had changed its terms of service to prevent criminals from abusing the app and would share users' locations, but only in response to legal requests.

Many fear that Telegram has fostered an image for years as an anti-state platform that has been politically neutral. However, this is not entirely true: although some things have changed, a similar policy has been in place for years. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that German extremists and Russian military bloggers are also contributing to the panic, claiming that the arrest of the CEO is a straightforward way to access data.