Telegram has issued a statement defending its CEO, Pavel Durov, after his arrest in France, calling the charges against him “absurd.” Durov, the billionaire founder of the encrypted messaging platform, was detained at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday following the landing of his private jet.
French news outlets BFMTV and TF1, citing unnamed sources, reported that the arrest was linked to a search warrant focused on Telegram’s moderation practices and alleged criminal activities conducted by its users, including money laundering and drug trafficking. However, French authorities have not yet officially commented on the arrest.
Telegram has released a short statement following the arrest of its CEO, Pavel Durov, in France yesterday. pic.twitter.com/3oA960wC5A
— James Harvey (@JamesHarvey2503) August 25, 2024
In response to the arrest, Telegram stated, “Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act—its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform.”
The statement emphasizes that while Telegram is committed to privacy and end-to-end encryption, it also follows legal obligations within the European Union. Telegram’s privacy features, while central to its appeal, have also attracted criticism for enabling criminal activities, with the platform being exploited in recent instances such as far-right riots in the UK.
Pavel Durov, 39, left Russia in 2014 after losing control of his previous social media company, Vkontakte (VK), due to his refusal to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups and share data on Ukrainian protesters. He moved to Dubai in 2017 and became a French citizen in 2021.
The Russian embassy in France has demanded consular access to Durov and called for his rights to be protected, stating that French authorities have so far been unresponsive. Russian diplomats are currently in contact with Durov’s lawyer.
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