In a watershed moment for online privacy, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced last September 23 that the app altered its Terms of Service and Privacy Policy to combat illegal activity and problematic content.
On October 14, Pavel posted on X that the messaging platform has launched a global SMS authentication service that enables businesses to verify customer phone numbers for a fee of $0.01 per code.
"Telegram has been paying atrocious rates to verify its almost billion users, so others won’t have to. Our prices are so low that I’m not sure we can meaningfully profit from this," Durov wrote on his post.
"But I hope this will make the world more efficient and reduce costs for many services worldwide," he added.
⚡ Telegram has launched the most affordable way for businesses to authenticate customer phone numbers — just $0.01 per code delivered worldwide. It's faster, cheaper, and more secure than traditional SMS verification, with payments made in TON. More details:…
— Pavel Durov (@durov) October 14, 2024
The cloud-based instant messaging service, which sees over 950 million monthly active users, is also now able to divulge the personal information of users with arrest warrants, including IP addresses and phone numbers, to authorities with valid legal requests.
Durov stated in a Telegram post last month that a small percentage of users who conduct illegal activities on the platform put all users at risk.
This major change comes a month after the French government arrested Durov at Le Bourget airport, charging him for failing to prevent the rampant drug trafficking and child abuse occurring on the platform.
He was released shortly after on a $5.56 million bond.
❤️ Thanks everyone for your support and love!
— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 6, 2024
Last month I got interviewed by police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.…
Telegram previously refused to acknowledge requests for information, which resulted in the app getting banned in Iran and Russia.
Telegram's cybersecurity update underscores the importance of public safety in managing a large-scale messaging platform.
By establishing countermeasures to illegal activities, the platform mitigates the risk of existing issues affecting the general user base.
What happened to Telegram (and how it resolved this major issue) should serve as a lesson to app and software developers to always consider how to prevent criminals from using their creations for illegal activities.
Working with expert software development agencies can help ensure platforms are equipped with robust security measures from the start.
Limiting Its Search Engine
The update also tones down the platform's powerful search engine, which formerly enabled users to find public channels and bots, some of which are used to sell illegal goods.
"Over the last few weeks, a dedicated team of moderators, leveraging AI, has made Telegram Search much safer. All the problematic content we identified in Search is no longer accessible," Durov said in a statement.
The new update will lead to a significant drop in illegal activities on the platform, making what is generally considered one of the most secure and private communication apps more trustworthy.
Privacy is an increasingly important issue in the world of tech.
Earlier this year, Google settled a $5 billion privacy lawsuit that accused the tech giant of monitoring user activity in "incognito" mode.
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
