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Telegram will not consider Russian intelligence agencies’ requests to provide users’ data

According to Telegram founder Pavel Durov, Russian intelligence services seek access to all users’ messages

© Alexandr Sherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. The Telegram messaging service will not consider Russian intelligence agencies’ requests to provide users’ IP-addresses and phone numbers, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said.

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Russia's media watchdog to consider unblocking Telegram messenger

"We do not consider any requests from Russian intelligence agencies and our privacy policy has nothing to do with the situation in Russia," he wrote on Telegram.

According to Durov, Russian intelligence services seek access to all users’ messages and not the data that Telegram is ready to provide in accordance with court rulings.

Telegram earlier introduced changes in its privacy policy, saying that the service was ready to disclose a user’s IP-address and phone number in case there was a court ruling proving that the user was suspected of terrorism. The move is aimed at ensuring compliance with the European Union’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to the messaging service, Telegram’s privacy policy was updated on August 14, 2018. "Regardless of whether we exercise this right or not, the step should make Telegram less attractive for those who use it as a platform for terrorist propaganda," Durov said.

Telegram issue

In December 2017, Telegram’s top managers filed a lawsuit with Russia’s Supreme Court asking that an order of the Federal Security Service (FSB), which demanded decryption keys for users’ messages, be declared void. On March 20, the Supreme Court turned the request down.

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Telegram files appeal against Russia’s ban with European Court of Human Rights

On April 13, 2018, Moscow’s Tagansky District Court ruled to block access to Telegram in Russia over its failure to implement the FSB’s order.

On April 16, the Russian media watchdog received the court’s ruling on restricting access to Telegram. On the same day, mobile operators began to take steps to block Telegram in compliance with the court’s decision.

On May 11, Telegram’s lawyers filed an appeal against the ban with the Moscow City Court, which was rejected on June 14.

In June, the company filed an appeal against the ban with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

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