- Telegram CEO Pavel Durov mentioned he was stunned by his arrest in Paris final month.
- Durov mentioned the French authorities ought to have taken authorized motion in opposition to Telegram as an alternative of him.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov made his first public assertion on Thursday since getting detained by French authorities final month.
In a prolonged submit that was printed on his Telegram channel, Durov mentioned that his arrest got here as a shock to him.
“Last month I received interviewed by police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I used to be informed I could also be personally accountable for different individuals’s unlawful use of Telegram, as a result of the French authorities did not obtain responses from Telegram,” Durov wrote.
But the authorities, Durov mentioned, might have contacted Telegram for help in the event that they’d needed to.
“Telegram has an official consultant within the EU that accepts and replies to EU requests,” he wrote, including that he’d additionally helped French authorities to “set up a hotline with Telegram to cope with the specter of terrorism in France.”
I’m nonetheless making an attempt to know what occurred in France. But we hear the issues. I made it my private objective to stop abusers of Telegram’s platform from interfering with the way forward for our 950+ million customers.
My full submit under. https://t.co/cDvRSodjst
— Pavel Durov (@durov) September 5, 2024
Durov was arrested by French police on August 24 after he’d arrived in Paris on his personal jet.
The Russian-born entrepreneur was handed preliminary prices simply days later, on August 28. Durov was accused of being complicit within the distribution of kid sexual abuse materials and drug trafficking on Telegram.
Durov, who obtained French citizenship in 2021, has since been launched from custody although he’s not allowed to go away France.
“If a rustic is sad with an web service, the established follow is to start out a authorized motion in opposition to the service itself,” Durov wrote on Thursday.
“Using legal guidelines from the pre-smartphone period to cost a CEO with crimes dedicated by third events on the platform he manages is a misguided method. Building know-how is difficult sufficient as it’s.”
French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned on August 26 that Durov’s arrest is “under no circumstances a political resolution.”
I’ve seen false data relating to France following the arrest of Pavel Durov.
France is deeply dedicated to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will stay so.
In a state ruled by the rule of legislation,…
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 26, 2024
“The arrest of Telegram’s president on French territory came about as a part of an ongoing judicial investigation. This is under no circumstances a political resolution. It is as much as the judges to resolve,” Macron wrote in an X submit.
Telegram, Durov mentioned, acknowledges the problem of balancing privateness with safety and has been “partaking with regulators to seek out the fitting steadiness.”
“Sometimes we won’t agree with a rustic’s regulator on the fitting steadiness between privateness and safety. In these circumstances, we’re prepared to go away that nation,” he wrote, including that Telegram was banned in Russia and Iran after they refused to adjust to native authorities.
Telegram was not at all good however it definitely is not an “anarchic paradise,” Durov mentioned on his channel.
“Telegram’s abrupt improve in consumer depend to 950M precipitated rising pains that made it simpler for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my private objective to make sure we considerably enhance issues on this regard,” he wrote in his submit, including that extra particulars can be shared quickly.
“Thanks once more to your love and memes,” Durov added.
Representatives for Telegram did not instantly reply to a request for remark despatched exterior common enterprise hours.
