Telegram CEO Pavel Durov responds to accusations after indictment

Durov has spoken out for the first time following 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 the CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, was indicted in France, he released a statement addressing his recent legal troubles in the country. 

In a post on his official Telegram channel, Durov expressed surprise at his charges, emphasizing that the messaging app has an official EU representative handling law enforcement requests. He criticized the authorities for bypassing established communication channels and questioning him personally. 

He argued that pre-smartphone laws to charge a CEO with crimes committed by others on the platform he manages is “a misguided approach.”

Durov defended Telegram’s moderation practices, pointing out the platform’s daily efforts to remove harmful content and maintain hotlines with NGOs for urgent requests.

“We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports… we 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, particularly in countries with weaker rules of law. He highlighted Telegram’s willingness to leave markets where its principles are compromised, citing bans in Russia and Iran for refusing government demands. He added:

We are prepared to leave markets that aren’t compatible with our principles, because we are not doing this for money. We are driven by the intention to bring good and defend the basic rights of people, particularly in places where these rights are violated.

Durov’s arrest on Aug. 24 sparked a sharp decline in Toncoin (TON), the cryptocurrency linked to Telegram, which plunged 20% around the time of his arrest.

Durov’s charges

Last week, Durov was placed under judicial supervision after being indicted on charges related to inadequate content moderation on Telegram, including accusations of terrorism and drug trafficking. He was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris and now faces a court-mandated ban on leaving French territory and twice-weekly police check-ins.

Durov, a Franco-Russian billionaire, has faced legal challenges, with French authorities accusing him of complicity in various illegal activities. He faced 12 alleged charges.

Durov acknowledged that Telegram has a long way to go before being crime-free. Durov expressed that he is committed to improving Telegram’s content moderation efforts, acknowledging some growing pains due to the platform’s rapid user growth. 

Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. 

He also reaffirmed the company’s mission to protect user privacy while cooperating with regulators. However, he made it clear that Telegram is willing to exit markets where its values are compromised.

The crypto community was in an uproar over the arrest and strongly supported Durov.