Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has issued his first statement following his recent arrest at Le Bourget Airport near Paris. Durov described the accusations against him as a “misguided approach,” asserting that Telegram is not the “anarchic paradise” some have portrayed.
“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,” Durov said in a post on Telegram.
Durov, a Russian-born entrepreneur and founder of the messaging app Telegram, was detained on August 24, 2024, upon arriving in France. The arrest came amid an investigation by French authorities into Telegram’s alleged lack of content moderation, which they claim has facilitated criminal activities on the platform. French media outlets reported that Durov was held for questioning, raising concerns about whether he could be held personally responsible for illegal content posted by users.
In his statement, Durov expressed surprise at the arrest, citing several reasons. He noted that Telegram has an official representative in the EU who handles legal requests, and that French authorities had multiple ways to contact him directly. Durov highlighted his previous cooperation with French officials, including helping establish a hotline for terrorism-related issues.
“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,” he said
Durov criticized the notion that a CEO should be held accountable for third-party misuse of their platform. He pointed out that Telegram has a history of resisting government demands that conflict with its principles, such as blocking channels in Russia and Iran.
“When Russia demanded we hand over “encryption keys” to enable surveillance, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Russia. When Iran demanded we block channels of peaceful protesters, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Iran,” the statement read.
“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,” Durov said in a post on Telegram.
Durov, a Russian-born entrepreneur and founder of the messaging app Telegram, was detained on August 24, 2024, upon arriving in France. The arrest came amid an investigation by French authorities into Telegram’s alleged lack of content moderation, which they claim has facilitated criminal activities on the platform. French media outlets reported that Durov was held for questioning, raising concerns about whether he could be held personally responsible for illegal content posted by users.
In his statement, Durov expressed surprise at the arrest, citing several reasons. He noted that Telegram has an official representative in the EU who handles legal requests, and that French authorities had multiple ways to contact him directly. Durov highlighted his previous cooperation with French officials, including helping establish a hotline for terrorism-related issues.
“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,” he said
Durov criticized the notion that a CEO should be held accountable for third-party misuse of their platform. He pointed out that Telegram has a history of resisting government demands that conflict with its principles, such as blocking channels in Russia and Iran.
“When Russia demanded we hand over “encryption keys” to enable surveillance, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Russia. When Iran demanded we block channels of peaceful protesters, we refused — and Telegram got banned in Iran,” the statement read.
Despite acknowledging that Telegram is not without flaws, Durov refuted claims that the platform is a haven for lawlessness. He stressed that Telegram actively moderates harmful content, publishes transparency reports, and maintains direct communication channels with NGOs for urgent issues. Durov said that the rapid growth in Telegram’s user base to 950 million has presented new challenges.
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