In the year 2025, the Telegram messenger has been found to have disclosed data on 22,777 users to authorities since the beginning of the year. This number is significantly higher than the 5,826 accounts that were disclosed during the same period in 2024. The information regarding these disclosures was obtained from GitHub-Roads, where reports on transparency of Telegram for different countries are published. From January to March alone, 1,664 users’ data was transferred, with 576 requests coming from American authorities.
Despite its reputation as a platform for free communication, Telegram has been used for illicit activities such as fake financial schemes, weapons sales, and gambling. Pavel Durov, the founder of the service, previously championed freedom of speech and resisted collaboration with state entities. However, after his arrest in France in 2024 due to a case involving violence against children, Durov’s stance shifted. Following his refusal to provide data related to the case, he was detained.
Subsequently, Telegram’s approach to requests changed, as the service began to cooperate more actively with law enforcement agencies. A dedicated bot was introduced to allow users to track the number of queries their country submitted and the accounts affected. Third-party resources and Telegram channels, like the one run by technical specialist TEK from Human Rights Watch, provide updated versions of these reports.
According to the latest data from GitHub, Telegram processed a minimum of 13,615 requests from various countries in the first quarter of 2025, resulting in the transmission of information about 22,277 users. This marks a significant increase compared to the previous year, with France notably escalating its number of requests from 4 to 668. The number of users discovered through these requests rose from 17 in 2024 to 1,425 in 2025. Romania, absent from previous reports, made 37 requests in 2025, obtaining data on 88 accounts.
These developments come amidst tense relations between Durov and French authorities. After being detained in 2024, he was unable to leave France for an extended period. However, in March 2025, his lawyers secured his temporary release, after which he relocated to Dubai. Subsequently, Durov began posting sarcastic content on social media platforms, alluding to political pressures he faced.
Following the recent elections in Romania, where a Central Candidate emerged victorious, Durov accused an unnamed Western European country of attempting to manipulate the electoral process. In his Telegram channel, he claimed that a European regime had urged him to “suppress conservative voices in Romania” under the guise of safeguard