Durov spoke out for the first time since his arrest last week, defending the platform’s moderation efforts and criticizing authorities for targeting him personally over users’ illegal activities.
Today, nearly a week after Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was indicted in France, he issued a statement statement Addressing his recent legal troubles in the country.
In a post on his official Telegram channel, Durov expressed surprise at the accusations against him, stressing that the messaging app has an official EU representative who handles law enforcement requests. He criticized the authorities for bypassing established communication channels and questioning him in person.
He said pre-smartphone laws to charge the CEO with crimes committed by others on the platform he runs are a “misguided approach.”
Durov defended Telegram’s moderation practices, pointing to the platform’s daily efforts to remove harmful content and maintain hotlines with NGOs for urgent requests.
“We remove millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish transparency reports daily… and have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster.”
Durov
Durov emphasized the challenges of balancing privacy and security while maintaining global consistency, especially in countries with weak rule of law. He highlighted Telegram’s willingness to leave markets where its principles are at risk, citing bans in Russia and Iran for refusing government demands. He added:
We are willing to leave markets that do not align with our principles, because we do not do this for the money. We are driven by the intention to do good and defend the fundamental rights of people, especially where these rights are violated.
Durov’s arrest on August 24 led to a sharp decline in TON, the cryptocurrency linked to Telegram, which was down 20% at the time of his arrest.
Durov’s accusations
Last week, Durov was placed under judicial supervision after being charged with moderating inappropriate content on Telegram, including terrorism and drug trafficking. He was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris and now faces a court ban on leaving France and twice-weekly police checks.
Durov, a French-Russian billionaire, has faced legal challenges, with French authorities accusing him of complicity in various illegal activities. He has faced 12 alleged charges.
Durov acknowledged that Telegram still has a long way to go before it is crime-free. Durov expressed his commitment to improving Telegram’s content moderation efforts, acknowledging some growing pains due to the platform’s rapid user growth.
The sudden surge in Telegram users to 950 million has created increasing difficulties that make it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I’ve made it my personal goal to ensure that things improve dramatically in this regard.
He also stressed the company’s mission to protect users’ privacy while cooperating with regulators. However, he made it clear that Telegram is prepared to exit markets where its values are at risk.
The arrest caused a stir in the crypto community and Durov was strongly supported.