While it might not enjoy the same popularity as WhatsApp, it is certainly a potent alternative for community-building. However, Telegram is also a mother-lode for pirating content and it is common to find groups sharing content that isn’t theirs. Delhi High Court asked Telegram to reveal user data of such groups related to a case filed by K D Campus Private Limited.
The plaintiff approached the Delhi High court for seeking lawful action for distributing their teaching material using Telegram. The judge asked Telegram to reveal all the information related to the case to narrow down the perpetrators. But Telegram at first refused to disclose on the grounds of honoring privacy, and because its servers are located in Singapore.
What did the Delhi High Court say to Telegram?
Telegram tried to exclude its involvement but the court didn’t agree to that. It had already been established that course materials were shared by creating channels on Telegram. Since Telegram has its servers in Singapore, it told the court that sharing information located on those servers would violate the laws of the jurisdiction of Singapore.
But the Delhi High court said Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act makes an exception to privacy and recognizes violation of laws. So, Telegram can share the requested details with the court in a sealed cover. Moreover, since Telegram operates in India, it must adhere to the court’s demands in matters related to copyright infringement.
Now, Telegram will have to supply all the requested details which include mobile numbers, IP addresses, user names, channel names, and more. Similarly, the Indian government is asking VPN companies to agree to new rules which require maintaining extensive records of all the users.
VPN companies usually set up shops in countries that respect data privacy. It becomes very difficult for the Indian government or any government to extract data of users related to an incident. What do you think about increasing piracy on Telegram? Share your thoughts in the comments.
