Telegram Still Refuses to Cooperate With Russian Authorities - Founder

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2018) Telegram messenger app still will not consider requests of the Russian authorities for access to data of terrorist suspects and cooperation on other issues, Telegram Founder and CEO Pavel Durov said on Tuesday.

"Telegram is required by Russian authorities to provide not only phone numbers and IP addresses of terrorists by a court decision, but something fundamentally different - access to messages, of all users. Telegram is outlawed in Russia. Every day hundreds of IP addresses are blocked in attempts to curb access to the service. In this regard, we do not consider any requests from Russian security services, and our privacy policy does not concern the situation in Russia," Durov wrote in his Telegram channel.

The app's founder explained that Telegram had adjusted its privacy policy to comply with the European laws on personal data protection, but the company had reserved the right to hand over IP address and phone number of terrorists to the relevant security agencies based on a court ruling.

"Regardless of whether or not we will ever use this right, such measure should make Telegram less attractive for those who are engaged in spreading terrorist propaganda here," Durov stressed.

He noted that the latest changes to the privacy policy were unlikely to lead to lifting ban on the app in Russia.