Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 18: The Centre has levelled a series of serious allegations against Telegram, telling the Delhi High Court that the messaging platform has become the “new dark web” and is increasingly being used by criminals, cyber fraudsters, extremist groups and other threat actors to evade law-enforcement agencies.
The observations were made in an affidavit filed before the Delhi High Court in response to Telegram’s challenge against the government’s temporary ban on the platform. Defending its decision, the Centre detailed what it described as the widespread misuse of Telegram for cybercrime, financial fraud, extremist propaganda and other illegal activities.
According to the affidavit, Telegram has evolved into a key platform for activities ranging from circulation of leaked examination papers, including NEET question papers, to cyber fraud, terrorism-linked propaganda, child sexual exploitation material, drug trafficking and financial crimes.
“Telegram has become the new dark web, linking threat actors. Criminals have rapidly adopted Telegram to post links on channels that connect to dark web forums through deep web links, making it hard for authorities to track and attribute criminals,” the Centre stated.
The government argued that Telegram’s privacy and anonymity features make it particularly attractive to criminal networks. Users can reportedly conceal identifiers such as phone numbers and Telegram IDs through privacy settings, making it difficult for investigators to establish the identities of account holders.
The affidavit stated that Telegram is being exploited for illegal activities including drug trafficking, cybercrime, extremism, terrorism, child exploitation and cyber fraud because of its privacy-focused features.
Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that periodic reports from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, consistently highlighted structural challenges in controlling misuse of the platform.
Mehta said Telegram allows a single user to create up to 40 bots, unlike several other messaging platforms where bot creation is more restricted. According to the Centre, this enables rapid proliferation of accounts, allowing new bots to emerge soon after existing ones are blocked.
“The scale at which it can multiply is only available on Telegram,” Mehta told the court, adding that action against individual bots often offers only temporary relief as similar accounts quickly reappear under different identities.
The government further argued that Telegram’s cloud-based architecture and privacy settings create significant obstacles for law-enforcement agencies attempting to identify offenders and trace criminal activities. It also pointed to the platform’s privacy policy, under which deleting an account results in the deletion of associated messages, media and stored data.
Linking the issue to national security, the Centre claimed that intelligence reports available with the government identified Telegram as one of the most preferred platforms for terrorist activities. Similar concerns, it argued, have also been raised by authorities in other countries.
The affidavit alleged that Telegram groups and channels are being used to disseminate extremist content and propaganda linked to terrorist organisations.
“Extremist violent acts performed by terror organisations and other radical content is being propagated by Telegram groups and channels by entities associated with terrorist organisations to create misinformation or destabilise public order,” the affidavit stated.
Among the most serious concerns highlighted by the government was the circulation of child sexual exploitative and abuse material (CSEAM) through Telegram channels and groups. The Centre said such content remains a major challenge for enforcement agencies monitoring online platforms.
The affidavit also alleged that Telegram has become a hub for cybercriminal activity, with fraudsters creating fake accounts using false identities to conduct financial scams, publish data breaches and coordinate cyber offences.
Citing data from the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the government said complaints involving misuse of Telegram in cyber fraud cases have increased significantly in recent years.
The Centre further claimed that Telegram channels are being used for the sale and purchase of mule bank accounts, which are commonly employed to receive and transfer proceeds from cybercrime and money-laundering operations.
According to the affidavit, cyber threat actors, hacker groups and other adversaries use Telegram channels and groups to coordinate attacks, distribute stolen data and share malicious software tools.
The government also alleged that certain malicious Android applications use Telegram as a command-and-control platform for exfiltrating victims’ data and device information. It cited instances of Telegram channels allegedly advertising malware services, Google Play Protect bypass tools and malicious applications disguised as financial service apps.
Another concern raised was the alleged use of Telegram bots to facilitate access to citizens’ personal data, including mobile numbers, Aadhaar details and other sensitive information sourced from previously leaked databases.
Apart from cybercrime-related concerns, the Centre alleged that Telegram channels are widely used to distribute pirated movies, web series and other copyrighted content, causing financial losses to content creators and raising intellectual property issues.
The affidavit, filed before the Delhi High Court, outlines the Centre’s assessment of the risks associated with Telegram and details allegations regarding the platform’s alleged misuse by criminal, extremist and cybercrime networks.