Telegram CEO Durov calls his arrest ‘misguided’
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has criticized French authorities, calling his arrest last week over allegations of inadequate moderation on the messaging app “misguided.” In his first public statement since his detention, Durov rejected claims that Telegram operates as an “anarchic paradise,” calling them “absolutely untrue.”
Durov was arrested on August 25 at an airport north of Paris and faces charges related to suspected complicity in illicit transactions, drug trafficking, fraud, and the spread of child sex abuse images on his platform. In his statement, which he released on Telegram, Durov argued that holding him accountable for crimes committed by third parties on the platform was both “surprising” and “misguided.”
“If a country is dissatisfied with an Internet service, the usual course of action is to pursue legal action against the service itself,” said Durov, who holds both Russian and French citizenship. “Charging a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages, using laws from the pre-smartphone era, is a misguided approach.”
Durov emphasized that the challenge of building technology should not be compounded by the threat of personal responsibility for potential misuse. “Building technology is hard enough. No innovator will risk developing new tools if they face personal liability for their abuse,” he added.
While acknowledging that Telegram is not perfect, Durov pointed out that French authorities had multiple ways to contact him and that the app has an official representative in the EU. He refuted media claims of Telegram being an “anarchic paradise,” asserting that the app actively removes millions of harmful posts and channels daily.
Despite Telegram’s ability to host groups of up to 200,000 members—leading to concerns about the spread of misinformation and illegal content—the app has faced scrutiny for its moderation practices. Recently, in the UK, Telegram was criticized for hosting far-right channels linked to violent incidents. Although some groups were removed, experts argue that Telegram’s moderation system is weaker compared to other social media platforms.
In his statement, Durov acknowledged that the rapid growth of Telegram, which he claims now has 950 million users, has led to “growing pains” that made it easier for criminals to exploit the platform. He promised to “significantly improve” the situation.
The BBC recently reported that Telegram has declined to join international efforts to detect and remove child abuse material online. Durov, 39, born in Russia and currently residing in Dubai where Telegram is based, also holds UAE and French citizenship. Founded in 2013, Telegram remains a major social media platform, particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet states. Although it was banned in Russia in 2018 due to a refusal to hand over user data, the ban was lifted in 2021.