As law enforcement grapples with the growing use of encrypted messaging platforms by criminals, Telegram has emerged as both a tool for criminal activity and a critical resource for investigators. Federal agent Chris Janczewski, while tracking funding for an al Qaeda network in 2020, found an unexpected lead: a public forum on Telegram. The group, operating openly, was soliciting donations to buy weapons for militants in Syria, complete with a bitcoin address. This discovery enabled U.S. authorities to seize funds and make critical arrests abroad.
For years, Telegram has been under fire for hosting illicit activities, from child exploitation to drug trafficking. French authorities recently arrested the platform’s founder, Pavel Durov, in August, accusing him of enabling such behavior and ignoring legal orders. However, the same transparency that makes Telegram a haven for criminal activity has also made it a vital resource for law enforcement.
Janczewski’s experience is far from unique. In the past five years, U.S. authorities have prosecuted numerous criminals using their own public Telegram posts as evidence. A notable case this month saw two Americans charged with running a neo-Nazi group on the platform, inciting violence and providing a hit list of U.S. officials. Authorities connected the group to the 2022 murder of two people outside a gay bar in Slovakia, among other acts of violence.
“While there is hardly a social-media app that is not being used by criminals, Telegram is striving to limit the abuse of its platform as much as possible,” said Telegram’s Chief Operating Officer, Mike Ravdonikas.
Despite its reputation for encrypted messaging, Telegram also functions as a social-media platform, allowing users to create public groups with minimal moderation. Former federal agents acknowledge that, despite the risks, Telegram has become indispensable in tracking criminal activity. European authorities have similarly infiltrated criminal networks through the platform, often without Telegram’s direct cooperation.
Evan Kohlmann, an anti-terrorism consultant who has worked with the FBI, noted that Telegram is a preferred tool for criminals, from Mexican cartels seeking hitmen to Chinese money-laundering rings recruiting clients. While law enforcement occasionally gains access to valuable information, “what authorities do catch on Telegram is a small drop in the bucket,” Kohlmann said.
Durov, who has had a complicated relationship with Western governments, has defended Telegram against accusations of turning a blind eye to crime. He stated that it is a “misguided approach” to charge him personally, and he denied claims that Telegram is an “anarchic paradise.” However, since Durov’s arrest, French prosecutors have acknowledged a significant shift in the platform’s cooperation with law enforcement, noting a surge in compliance with data requests across Europe.
For investigators like Janczewski, the openness of Telegram has been both a challenge and an asset. By tracking just one bitcoin wallet linked to al Qaeda, Janczewski uncovered 155 related accounts, enabling him to trace transactions from his office rather than venturing into conflict zones like Syria. “It meant I could track their transactions from my house without having to go to war-torn Syria,” Janczewski explained, now serving as head of investigations at TRM Labs, which investigates crypto-related fraud.
Despite the risks, Telegram’s broad user base of one billion people continues to attract criminals, offering them the reach to expand their operations across multiple forums. Unlike the closed and isolated communities on the dark web, Telegram’s public channels allow criminals to engage with a larger audience, but in doing so, they also leave a trail for law enforcement to follow.
