Newly released US court documents show that Telegram complied with a US court order by handing over a user's phone number, user ID, and IP address to law enforcement. In its response letter, Telegram emphasized that the handover was voluntary and insisted it does not recognize US jurisdiction, yet the sensitive identifiers were delivered regardless. The underlying case involves Mahmoud Al-Muhtadi, who was accused of taking part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
This was by no means an isolated move. Records indicate that as of January this year, Telegram had already supplied data regarding 2,253 users to US authorities. Following the 2024 arrest of founder Pavel Durov in France, Telegram amended its privacy policy to state that it would disclose IP addresses and phone numbers under valid legal requests, marking a noticeable retreat from its formerly rigid stance on non-cooperation.
For the Chinese diaspora and business networks across Southeast Asia that lean heavily on Telegram for daily workflows, this development is a practical reminder. Many have grown accustomed to conducting deals and communications under the assumption of absolute privacy, but no private messaging tool remains an impenetrable shield once sovereign law enforcement steps in.
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