Pavel Durov, CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, has spoken publicly about the recent arrests in Paris, calling the response of French authorities “misguided” and expressing surprise that he has been held personally responsible for illegal activity on the platform.
Novaya Gazeta Europe Reports In his first public statement since his detention on August 24, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov slammed the “misguided action” of French authorities in arresting him on charges related to his operation of the popular messaging app. Durov was charged with 12 offences, including managing a platform enabling illicit financial transactions, failing to inform authorities, conspiring to distribute child pornography, drug trafficking, organized crime and money laundering.
Writing on his Telegram channel, Durov expressed surprise at learning that he could be held liable for the illegal actions of others on the platform. He argued that when a state is unhappy with an internet service, it usually files a lawsuit against the service itself, not the CEO. “Using pre-smartphone law to sue a CEO for crimes committed by third parties on a platform he controls is a flawed approach,” Durov said.
Telegram's CEO warned that holding individual innovators responsible for potential misuse of tools would stifle the development of new technologies. He stressed that Telegram has experienced “growing pains” as its user base has grown exponentially, now reaching 950 million, but the app is not a “paradise of chaos.” Durov highlighted the efforts of Telegram's moderators, who remove “millions” of harmful posts and channels every day.
Durov also noted that French authorities have numerous ways of contacting him to address concerns about the app and that Telegram has an official EU representative who responds to law enforcement requests. Nevertheless, he vowed to make it his “personal goal” to prevent illegal activity on the platform.
Durov was arrested at Paris' Le Bourget airport in late August, charged and subsequently released on €5 million bail, and is currently banned from leaving France while the case is ongoing.
Learn more Novaya Gazeta here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
