Here’s What Telegram Giving Data to the U.S. Government Looks Like
Court records show Telegram gave U.S. investigators a user's phone number, ID, and IP address.
Newly filed U.S. court records include a Telegram letter disclosing one user's phone number, user ID, and IP address. Telegram said the information was provided voluntarily and that compliance did not concede U.S. jurisdiction, while a government filing said the data responded to a Stored Communications Act order. The records also reveal Telegram's non-public U.S. law-enforcement contact address. The case concerns Mahmoud Amin Ya'qub Al-Muhtadi, who is alleged to have participated in the October 7 attacks; Telegram had previously provided U.S. authorities data on 2,253 users.
- Telegram's letter listed a phone number, user ID, and IP address.
- Telegram called the disclosure voluntary and disputed U.S. jurisdiction.
- The government said a Stored Communications Act order prompted the data.
- Court records exposed Telegram's non-public U.S. law-enforcement contact address.
- Telegram previously reported providing U.S. authorities data on 2,253 users.
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Newly filed court records show exactly what happens when messaging app Telegram provides data to U.S. authorities.
A letter written by Telegram, and providing a specific user’s phone number, user ID, and IP address, reads:
Dear Sir or Madam,
For this particular case, the following information was available:
User #7149269705 : +201155664529 [Mahmoud Almohtadi]
IP 184.186.72.239, 8 Oct 2025 2:08:12
We hope this information will be helpful in your investigation.
Kind regards,
The Telegram Team
The letter says Telegram provided the data “voluntarily” and that by providing it, Telegram is “not conceding that we are subject to U.S. jurisdiction for this or any other request or any purpose.” A related court filing written by the government the data came in response to a court order issued pursuant to the Stored Communications Act.
The letter also includes what Telegram calls its “non-public contact point” for requests made by U.S. law enforcement. This email address — content-referral-u1@telegram.org — is now in public court records. Hackers often contact tech companies impersonating law enforcement, often using compromised government email accounts, to trick them into handing over someone’s user data.
The case this document surfaced in centers around Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub Al-Muhtadi, who allegedly participated in the October 7 attacks against Israel.
As of last January, Telegram had given U.S. authorities data on 2,253 users, 404 Media previously reported.
Telegram only got serious about responding to lawful requests for data after French authorities arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in August 2024, in part because the company refused to assist law enforcement in a child abuse investigation. Since then, Telegram has dramatically changed from a company that very rarely, if ever, provided data to the authorities, to one that does it as a matter of course, in line with other tech platforms and messaging apps.
About the author
Joseph is an award-winning investigative journalist focused on generating impact. His work has triggered hundreds of millions of dollars worth of fines, shut down tech companies, and much more.
