So far, Telegram has denied German investigators important information, even for solving serious crimes. That has now apparently changed, which could be related to investigations against the boss Durow.
The Telegram messenger service has been a thorn in the side of security authorities for years. Criminals and extremists roam here; There is agitation, threats, trafficking in illegal goods such as drugs or weapons, and even terrorist attacks are being planned.
Telegram founder Durow was arrested in France.
Intelligence services and the police can often easily read what is happening on the platform – but identifying suspects has so far proven to be a major challenge. For a long time, German investigators hardly got any valuable information about Telegram users from the operator, such as their individual IP address of the Internet connection or their telephone number – unlike Facebook, Twitter’s successor X or TikTok.
Cooperation has so far been refused
Telegram had always guaranteed its users anonymity and even openly declared that it would not cooperate with authorities. When asked in August, the Federal Criminal Police Office stated that Telegram had “recently refused” to provide inventory data.
But now things are apparently moving. This is already indicated by information from Telegram itself: When asked for in Germany, the platform’s “Transparency Report” shows that a total of 53 inquiries from Germany “about IP addresses and/or telephone numbers” were answered by users in 2024. A total of 115 users have been affected so far.
“Emergency requests” will be answered
Telegram’s changed response behavior is confirmed in German security circles. For a short time, so we learned WDR and NDRthe Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) states that Telegram “again responds to inventory data and, in cases of immediate danger to life and limb, also to emergency disclosure requests.”
Inquiries from German authorities about religious extremism and terrorism were “answered promptly”. Police in the federal states are also said to have received answers from Telegram for other crimes, according to security circles.
Telegram had already revised its data protection guidelines at the end of September. It now says that Telegram will first review inquiries from law enforcement authorities about users’ suspected criminal activities and then, if necessary, provide IP addresses and telephone numbers to investigators.
Led to arrest Change of attitude?
In German security circles it is assumed that the change could have one main reason: the temporary arrest of Telegram founder Pawel Durow in France. Durov, who has also had French citizenship since 2021, was arrested at the airport in Paris on August 24 as he was returning from a trip to Azerbaijan. A few days later he was released after paying a bail of five million euros, but now has to report regularly to the French police and is not allowed to leave France.
In a public statement at the beginning of September, Durow described the investigation as “misguided.” “We remove millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish transparency reports daily.” Durov’s lawyer sent a request from WDR and NDR about the cooperation now taking place with German authorities remains unanswered.
Durov faces a long prison sentence
Durow now faces a trial and possibly a long prison sentence: the French justice system accuses him of aiding and abetting cybercrime. As CEO of Telegram, he is said to have done nothing to combat illegal activities on his platform, such as drug and weapons trafficking, as well as the distribution of recordings of child sexual abuse. He is also said to have refused to pass on user data to French law enforcement authorities.
The reaction from Moscow to the arrest of Durov, who is also a Russian citizen, was remarkable. The Kremlin criticized the arrest and spoke of a suppression of freedom of expression. Durov left Russia around ten years ago. According to media reports, he had previously clashed with the security apparatus. It is unclear what Durov’s relationship with the Kremlin is today.
Telegram plays a different role in many countries. In authoritarian countries like Belarus, for example, many dissidents have so far used the platform because they want to communicate anonymously and securely. In Germany, Telegram is known as a platform for conspiracy ideologists or right-wing extremists.
Years of fruitless efforts in Germany
In Germany, the traffic light government had already declared war on the platform in 2022 – but it didn’t get very far. Federal Ministry of the Interior Nancy Faeser even threatened Telegram with a “shutdown” in Germany, such as removing it from app stores. Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, in turn, initiated fine proceedings against Telegram. However, the letters initially only ended up in a mailbox in the United Arab Emirates, the official headquarters of Telegram.
Telegram later defended itself against the fine through a law firm in Germany. The case has been before the Bonn district court for more than a year and is still pending there.
The federal government is of the opinion that Telegram is a social network and is therefore subject to the so-called Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG). Operators are therefore obliged to take action against criminal content. The BKA was now so frustrated that they wanted to “flood” Telegram with inquiries in order to achieve better cooperation.
Officials from the Ministry of the Interior and Justice finally exchanged information directly with representatives from the messenger’s top management in 2022 – but although Telegram is said to have declared its greatest possible willingness to cooperate with the German authorities, the exchange fell far short of German expectations for a long time.