"Chats and punishment Journalists and rights groups accuse Telegram of FSB ties and exposing user data -- just how worried should users be?", 12 June 2025

In recent days, the messaging app Telegram has come under scrutiny in two high-profile investigations. On June 6, the human rights group Department One reported that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged people with treason for contacting bots or feedback accounts linked to Ukrainian Telegram channels. Then, on June 10, the investigative outlet iStories reported ties between Russian intelligence agencies and individuals responsible for Telegram’s server infrastructure — and raised concerns that they may have access to sensitive user data...

...Department One found that...security agents have been intercepting Telegram messages...the FSB has been monitoring communications between Russian users and bots or feedback accounts linked to Ukrainian Telegram channels...

...iStories found that a significant portion of Telegram’s server infrastructure is maintained by a company called Global Network Management (GNM), which is registered in Antigua and Barbuda — but also has a physical presence in Russia...GNM is owned by Vladimir Vedeneev...

In 2022, Vedeneev and Venediktov’s company — which had previously described itself as the only provider offering direct access to Telegram in Russia and the CIS — deployed Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) technology to monitor user traffic. Among its clients is GlavNIVTs, an analytics center that unofficially spies on citizens on the Internet for Russian law enforcement and security agencies. Vedeneev is also linked to Electrontelecom, another company that works with the FSB...

...Whenever the app generates an encrypted message on a user’s phone or computer — whether in a regular or “secret” chat — it automatically includes an unencrypted device identifier at the beginning of the message, known as “auth_key_id”...any intermediary routing Telegram traffic could potentially track these device identifiers. Combined with other metadata — like IP addresses and timestamps — this might make it possible to determine a user’s location or link devices exchanging messages...

...Telegram’s press office said that “all Telegram servers are owned by Telegram and maintained by Telegram staff” and that “unauthorized access is not possible.” The company added, “Telegram has no employees or servers in Russia. In the entire history of Telegram, not once has it handed over private messages to third parties, and its encryption has never been broken...”

...GNM told Varlamov News that its owner, Vladimir Vedeneev, has never held any official position at Telegram...

As for the device identifier auth_key_id, the company said it “does not contain any unique user identifier.”