The messenger service Telegram has passed on user data to German security authorities. The Federal Ministry of the Interior confirmed this at the request of the NDR, as the broadcaster announced on Wednesday. The ministry explained to the research format "STRG_F" (NDR/funk) that there were a few "highlighted individual cases" in which Telegram had transferred inventory data, such as IP addresses of users.

According to NDR, there are 25 cases involving possible child abuse and Islamist terrorism. In almost 400 cases, Telegram content was deleted.

Telegram should allow content without moderation

So far, Telegram had advertised that it would not give user data to governments or investigative authorities. Telegram is therefore used by criminals, terrorist suspects and opposition figures alike worldwide - trusting that their data is safe there. The messenger service has a reputation for allowing any content without moderation - including hate speech, calls for violence and false information.

In the past, Telegram had repeatedly failed to respond to inquiries from the German security authorities. Only after pressure from the federal government have there been communication channels with the operators since the beginning of February 2022.