Risk & Repeat: What's next for Telegram and Pavel Durov?

In the wake of the arrest of its founder and CEO, Telegram has made small but potentially significant changes to its policies.

Last month, French authorities arrested Pavel Durov in Paris and charged the CEO with allegedly facilitating criminal activity through the Telegram messaging application. According to cybersecurity experts, Telegram largely ignores law enforcement requests for cooperation regarding illegal activity on the platform. As a result, Telegram has become increasingly popular with cybercriminals in recent years.

But in the wake of Durov's arrest, the company quietly changed an FAQ entry for illegal content takedown requests. The FAQ previously said, "We do not process any requests related to" private chats. But the entry now lists several options for reporting illegal content.

More recently, The Verge reported that Telegram updated its privacy policy, which now states it will turn over a user's phone number and IP address if the company receives a valid request from law enforcement agencies.

Will these changes affect Durov's legal situation? Can Telegram's reportedly small staff be able to handle the number of law enforcement requests they'll receive? Will cybercriminals still flock to the platform if the company begins to cooperate with government agencies? TechTarget editors Rob Wright and Arielle Waldman discuss those questions and more on this episode of the Risk & Repeat podcast.

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Rob Wright is a longtime reporter and senior news director for TechTarget Editorial's security team. He drives breaking infosec news and trends coverage. Have a tip? Email him.