Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Issues First Statement Following Arrest in France, Calling Detention 'Misguided'

Sept. 6, 2024, 2:36 a.m.

Read time estimation: 4 minutes.

  2

In his first statement following the arrest in France, Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov said that the detention was “misguided”. He insisted that the French authorities should have first approached his companies with their complaints instead of arresting him over the matter.

On Friday, Durov took to his Telegram channel and said that “he is still trying to understand what happened in France.” The statement came weeks after the Russian-born billionaire was arrested in France and was charged for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the messaging app.

Advertisement I'm still trying to understand what happened in France. But we hear the concerns. I made it my personal goal to prevent abusers of Telegram's platform from interfering with the future of our 950+ million users.

My full post below. https://t.co/cDvRSodjst

— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 5, 2024 While commenting on the matter, the Telegram CEO denied that his app was an “anarchic paradise”. He insisted that the arrest was surprising since the French authorities already had access to a “hotline," he had helped set up, through which they could have directly contacted Telegram’s EU representative at any time.

“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself,” he wrote. “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," the tech mogul furthered.

Advertisement Durov defends his app

While admitting that Telegram was “not perfect,” Durov defended his app from all the criticisms. He went on to deny any abuse associated with the app. “The claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue,” he wrote. “We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day.”

“You have to take into account technological limitations. As a platform, you want your processes to be consistent globally, while also ensuring they are not abused in countries with weak rule of law. We’ve been committed to engaging with regulators to find the right balance. Yes, we stand by our principles: our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we’ve always been open to dialogue,” the 39-year-old billionaire explained.

Advertisement “I hope that the events of August will result in making Telegram — and the social networking industry as a whole — safer and stronger. Thanks again for your love and memes,” he concluded.

What were the charges?

According to the statement released by the Paris prosecutor involved in the case, the accusations made by French authorities against Durov are as follows:

Aiding an organized criminal group in using an online platform for illicit transactions.

Refusal to communicate with authorities

Involvement in organized criminal distribution of child sexual abuse material

It's important to remember that in France, being “placed under investigation” doesn't automatically mean someone is guilty of the crime they're accused of. It also doesn't guarantee a trial. It simply means the judge overseeing the case believes there's enough evidence to warrant a formal investigation.

Durov's situation is unique because it marks the first time a social media platform owner has been arrested for how their platform is used. While tech executives have faced criticism from lawmakers about their practices and shortcomings, none have been detained in such a way before.

Advertisement With inputs from agencies.