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Source: Bitrace
On September 23, Telegram founder Pavel Durov posted on his personal channel that users who abused public channels for illegal activities in violation of the terms of service may be disclosed to relevant institutions under legal requests.Pavel Durov was arrested by French police for suspected permission to have criminal activities on Telegram and released after paying bail, but is still under judicial supervision and needs to be reported to the police every two weeks.
It is worth noting that Telegram has always been known for its strong privacy protection and security, but it has had to adjust accordingly when facing the growing compliance requirements of global regulators – Pavel Durov is in deepAfter legal issues, a concession will be made to compliance by “providing user IP”.
Telegram and Web3 combination
Telegram has become the best place for Web3 applications with its huge user base and open API interface.Telegram not only supports token $TON for all transaction activities on the channel to help Telegram become an interface for Web2 and Web3 capital flows, but also integrates The Open Network (TON) into the application user interface, and the application ecosystem covers decentralization.Finance, domain names, games and other fields.
While the combination of the two brings unprecedented convenience and innovative experience to users, it also allows both parties to obtain huge user increase.Taking the Telegram popular click game Notcoin as an example, it attracted 35 million users to the crypto market by rewarding users to click on the screen and giving token airdrops.
At the same time, most blockchain project parties will choose to maintain community on Telegram, a communication tool.Telegram’s convenient group and channel features enable cryptocurrency project parties to easily interact with users to share the latest news and project updates.A large number of bots on Telegram provide crypto users with convenient functions such as arbitrage transaction reminders, data monitoring, market query, etc.Therefore, TG accounts have become standard equipment for a large number of industry insiders.
However, just like the two sides of a coin, the harm caused by the combination of the two cannot be underestimated.Criminals use Telegram chat rooms to conduct illegal transactions, launder money, and even plan terrorist activities with cryptocurrencies, making Telegram a communication tool for “black and gray industries” in some cases.
Telegram and Black Gray
Telegram supports secret chat, custom privacy settings, burning after reading, and other functions to protect user privacy.The secret chat function end-to-end encryption ensures that only the communication parties can see the conversation, and it is difficult for regulators to track or monitor illegal activities; the customized privacy settings function allows users to hide their mobile phone numbers and the last time they go online, enhancing user anonymity;Message deletion and self-destruct functions make it difficult for criminal evidence to be saved permanently.
The platform is intended to protect users from unauthorized surveillance and data leakage, but in practice it has been exploited by some criminals.The chat screenshot shows a case where a victim went to the police station to file a case under Bitrace’s guidance, and failed to file a case due to lack of Telegram’s chat evidence.
Chatting with the victim by coin chasing assistant
In addition, Telegram’s powerful search capabilities allow users to obtain public channels and bots through searches.However, this function has been abused by criminals and is used to promote or sell illegal goods.As reported by Bitrace, a Drainer organization that sells its services through Telegram groups and collects a 30% share of the stolen money.Since its founding in April, the Drainer organization has gained a total of 596 subscribers and in mid-May it has promoted it to have made over $200,000 in TON Eco(Drainer is a malware designed to illegally clear or “empty” cryptocurrency wallets, which are offered for rent by its developers, meaning anyone pays to use the malicious tool).
Drainer sells services through TG group
Pavel is under the pressure of many incidents such as the use of Telegram as a communication and publicity tool for planning terrorist attacks, and the operator of the “N Room” incident in South Korea opened live broadcast rooms and chat rooms on Telegram and used cryptocurrency transactions to make profits.Durov still said, “We shouldn’t feel guilty about this, I still think what we’re doing is right, that is to protect users’ privacy.” His tough attitude has made illegal activities based on Telegram more and morerampant.
“Is the risk of terrorist acts more important than 100% privacy rights? This is a big debate about social value.” And now, Pavel Durov, which compromises to provide more user data to the government, seems to have found the answer.
Balance between privacy and compliance
Pavel Durov recently announced an update to the platform’s privacy policy – for those who violate the rules, their IP addresses and phone numbers will be disclosed to relevant authorities upon receipt of a valid legal request.This marks an important step in Telegram’s compliance.
Over the past few weeks, Telegram has formed a dedicated team to leverage AI technology to make illegal content that may be covered in Telegram search capabilities inaccessible.Ensuring its consistency globally by further updating the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy shows Telegram’s determination to combat illegal content and protect nearly one billion users of the platform.
Pavel Durov posted on his personal TG channel
Telegram, as a global communications platform, must find a balance between protecting user privacy and complying with regulatory requirements.This balance should be dynamically adjusted based on local laws, specific events, application scenarios and other factors.For example, when receiving a valid legal request from law enforcement agencies, Telegram will disclose the personal information of relevant criminals, and such illegal users will no longer be protected by the platform.By appropriately sacrificing the “privacy” of a small number of criminals, Telegram can be prevented from being further abused without damaging public privacy.
Compliance is crucial
By strengthening compliance supervision, Telegram provides users with a safer and more trustworthy platform, laying the foundation for its long-term development in the global market.However, the “N Room Incident” shows that it is not easy for criminals to make profits from simple social software. The redemption and circulation of cryptocurrencies are the key, which is also the reason why anonymous cryptocurrencies are widely used in black industries.
With the widespread use of cryptocurrencies, especially stablecoins like USDT, many companies involved in cryptocurrencies should implement a detailed KYT mechanism to comply with regulations and manage risks.For any corporate risk control personnel with KYT needs, you can contact us from multiple channels to obtain DEMO.
