MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov said that the messenger can disclose user IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legitimate requests from the relevant authorities. He clarified that this measure concerns violators of Telegram rules and is being introduced to deter criminals from abusing the messenger's internal search function.

"We have clarified that the IP addresses and phone numbers of those who violate our rules can be disclosed to the relevant authorities in response to justified legal requests," Durov said, specifying that Telegram has updated its terms of service and privacy policy, bringing them to uniformity worldwide.

As Durov explained, some users were abusing Telegram’s search function to sell illegal goods. The Telegram team has removed all problematic content from there in recent weeks, he said, without giving any details.

"Over the past few weeks, a special team of moderators has used artificial intelligence to make the Telegram search much safer. All problematic content that we identified in search is no longer available," Durov said. He also called on users to report illegal content.