Durov criticised the legal proceedings, saying, “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.”
Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, has publicly responded to his recent arrest in France, condemning the authorities’ approach as “misguided.”
He was detained on 25 August at an airport near Paris and placed under formal investigation for alleged complicity in allowing illicit activities, including drug trafficking and child abuse images, on the platform.
In his first statement since the arrest, Durov denied accusations that Telegram is “some sort of anarchic paradise,” calling such claims “absolutely untrue.” He stated, “We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day.”
Durov criticised the legal proceedings, saying, “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.”
He further argued that no innovator would create new tools if they risked personal liability for misuse by others, BBC reports.
Despite admitting that Telegram has faced challenges due to a sharp rise in users, which he estimates at 950 million, Durov promised improvements in moderation. “The abrupt increase in users caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform,” he said.
The investigation into Durov’s actions does not imply guilt but indicates enough evidence to proceed. He maintained that French authorities could easily contact him or Telegram’s EU representative to address concerns about illegal content.
Telegram has faced scrutiny in various countries for its moderation policies. In the UK, the app was criticised for hosting far-right channels, while in France, critics argue its large group size facilitates the spread of extremist content.
Durov, a Russian-born billionaire who now holds French citizenship, founded Telegram in 2013. The platform has gained immense popularity, especially in Russia and former Soviet Union states.
Meanwhile, SaharaReporters had earlier reported that Durov, a Russian national with multiple citizenships, including French, UAE, Saint Kitts and Nevis, had been taken into custody upon arrival at Paris-Le Bourget Airport.
Telegram was launched in 2013 and currently has more than 950 million active monthly users. Durov is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, but has been mostly been living in the UAE since the mid-2010s. He became a French and an Emirati citizen in 2021.
Durov in an interview granted to an American journalist and political commentator Tucker Carlson, April, spoke about his disagreements with the Russian government, as well as the pressure he faced in the US.
He said that the American government had wanted him to set up a surveillance “backdoor” on his messaging service, and he refused.
