Following the arrest of Durov, the founder of Telegram, it has been announced that the app will be handing over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities making legal requests. It will also be removing some features that have been abused for illegal activity. This move comes after concerns about the app being used by criminals and the possibility of user data being fed into scams or criminal activity.
The UNODC’s deputy representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Benedikt Hofmann, has expressed concerns about Telegram being an easily navigable environment for criminals. He stated that consumers are at a higher risk of having their data used for criminal activities than ever before. The report highlighted the profits earned by criminal groups in the region and their use of new technologies such as malware, generative artificial intelligence, and deepfakes in their operations.
It was revealed that more than 10 deepfake software service providers were identified by the UNODC as specifically targeting criminal groups involved in cyber-enabled fraud in Southeast Asia. This highlights the growing concern around the use of deepfake technology in criminal activities. In South Korea, police have launched an investigation into Telegram to determine if it abets online sex crimes, as the country is estimated to be the most targeted by deepfake pornography.
Recent reports also highlighted how a hacker used chatbots on Telegram to leak the data of a top Indian insurer, Star Health. This led to the insurer suing the platform for the data leak. The leaked documents featured sensitive information such as names, phone numbers, addresses, tax details, copies of ID cards, test results, and medical diagnoses. This incident raised further concerns about the security of user data on Telegram and the potential for such data leaks to occur.
Overall, the arrest of Durov and the subsequent changes announced by Telegram reflect the ongoing concerns about the app being used for criminal activities. The use of deepfake technology, chatbots for data leaks, and the potential for online sex crimes are all areas of concern that authorities are looking into. With the evolving landscape of cyber-enabled fraud in Southeast Asia and beyond, it is crucial for platforms like Telegram to enhance their security measures and protect user data from falling into the wrong hands.
