KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 — The authorities can only take action against anonymous local Telegram users who share child pornography and rape videos if the messaging app releases their information, tech experts said.

Telecommunications expert Dr Suresh Ramasamy said identification of such users would be based on the mobile numbers they use to register their account, but their phone numbers are not publicly visible.

“The police will have to talk to Telegram to identify the user. Whether Telegram releases that information is subject to their own practices,” Suresh told Malay Mail Online yesterday.

“The police can only identify the people based on their mobile phone usage and content. This means that the police need to access the device in order to view the conversations and the content,” he added.

Malay Mail Online reported yesterday the circulation of thousands of explicit images and videos of adult women, teenage schoolgirls, as well as child pornography and what appeared to be videos of actual sexual assaults in a dozen Malaysian groups and channels on Telegram.

It’s unlikely that the pro-privacy app will release information on such users, however; US site TechCrunch reported Telegram founder Pavel Durov saying last September that they have “very adamant principles” about privacy and freedom of speech and that the company hasn’t “disclosed a single byte of data to third parties — even governments” throughout its over two years’ existence.

A Telegram representative has yet to respond to Malay Mail Online’s request for comment.

Tech blogger Keith Rozario said the police may be able to identify users who shared contentious materials only through a concerted effort with Telegram itself and with local Internet service providers.

“And provided the perpetrators didn’t use anonymising tech like VPNs or TOR,” Rozario told Malay Mail Online.

VPNs are virtual private networks that extend a private network over the Internet, while TOR allows users to remain anonymous while web surfing and is often used to access the “dark web”, a collection of websites frequently used for illegal activities like drug sales and child pornography.

Suresh noted that Telegram claims its end-to-end encryption — which protects messages from being intercepted by a third party — covers private chats and groups, which means that even Telegram doesn’t know what is being discussed or shared in the groups.

“As such, it will be impossible to block porn channels/ groups (unless if the group name is so conspicuous),” he said.

TechCrunch reported last September that Telegram has blocked porn channels and bots in Iran for “business” reasons. Last November, the app also blocked 78 Islamic State-related channels shortly after the Paris attacks by the terror group that killed 130 people.

Suresh said even if Telegram were to block some porn groups or channels in Malaysia, it would be very easy to create new ones.

“Trivial. Just click of a few buttons and you have a new group. Telegram will most likely take up the position of ‘innocent carrier’ and not be the content police. As explained earlier, Telegram won’t be able to block content that it does not have visibility to,” he said.

Rozario, however, said the creation of new porn groups or channels on Telegram depends on how sophisticated users are, noting that with the Islamic State, a new account pops up every time one Twitter account is shut down.

“But ISIS has a highly sophisticated system in place. I’m not sure if the paedophiles have the same operational effectiveness as ISIS — really doubt it, but if they have each other’s phone and email (or some other side-channel), then closing down groups has zero effect,” he said.

Both tech experts disagreed with banning Telegram, which is often used by activists and journalists under repressive regimes, in Malaysia.

“Banning the app is akin to banning cleavers/knives/machetes for their potential to be used in murders or criminal activities. Public awareness is key to reducing/eradicating these abuse,” said Suresh.

Rozario said that banning the entire app is akin to “banning highways just because some people race on it”.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak told Malay Mail Online yesterday that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been instructed to contact Telegram to remove all local channels or groups which share or upload videos of child pornography.