The messaging platform said it would deal with any malicious content if reported to them, as per Indian regulations.

Telegram’s lawyer also argued that if the platform tried to look at all the chats on its own, it would violate Indian privacy laws.

However, Telegram said it is ready to work with Star Health to remove data from specific accounts that are flagged.

Telegram has told the Madras High Court that it will not be able to monitor all accounts on its platform to stop the sharing of leaked customer data from Star Health, Reuters reported.

Instead, the messaging platform said it would deal with any malicious content if reported to them, as per Indian regulations.

Telegram’s lawyer also argued that if the platform tried to look at all the chats on its own, it would violate Indian privacy laws.

However, Telegram said it is ready to work with Star Health to remove data from specific accounts that are flagged.

In particular, personal data of millions of Star Health’s customers was leaked on Telegram in September this year.

Data of Star Health customers, such as policy and claim documents, including names, contact information, addresses, tax details, copies of ID cards, test results and medical diagnosis were reportedly available for download on the Telegram app.

Days after the leak, the hacker claimed the insurer’s chief information security officer (CISO) sold him the data.

In a post on X, the hacker, using the alias “xenZen,” claimed that CISO Amarjeet Khanuja later even tried to renegotiate the deal and demanded more money for continued access to the data on the company’s servers.

Meanwhile, Telegram said at the time in a statement that the bots reported to Telegram for sharing Star Health data were immediately removed and moderators are monitoring to prevent their re-creation.

The company further added that sharing private information on Telegram is expressly prohibited and such content is deleted whenever found.