The Telegram CEO's First Comments on the Allegations

Telegram's co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov has been silent about the arrest and allegations against him – until now. The accusations are surprising and misguided, he believes.

» Updated: September 19 2024

» Published: September 06 2024

The Telegram CEO's First Comments on the Allegations
Photo: Tatan Syuflana/AP/TT

Share this article

Pavel Durov was arrested at the end of August at Le Bourget airport outside Paris and was released after four days of police questioning. He has been accused, on preliminary grounds, of not acting against criminals using Telegram to commit crimes.

In a long post on his own messaging service, his first comments since the arrest, Durov writes that it is surprising that he is being held responsible for others' content.

Durov: Completely untrue

"Using laws written before the era of smartphones to accuse a CEO of crimes committed by third parties on the platform he is responsible for is a misguided approach," he writes.

He also comments on claims that Telegram is an anarchist paradise, calling them "completely untrue".

"We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day."

Pavel Durov denies French accusations that Paris did not receive any responses from the company to its requests. He claims that he personally helped French authorities establish contact with Telegram to "handle the threat of terrorism in France".

Admits weakness

At the same time, he admits that the messaging service's steadily increasing number of users – now 950 million worldwide, according to Durov – has caused growing pains, making it easier for criminals to abuse the platform.

"That's why I've made it my personal goal to see to it that we significantly improve things in this regard," he writes, adding that more details on how this will be done will be announced later.

"I hope that the events in August will result in Telegram – and the social media industry as a whole – becoming a safer and stronger place," writes Durov.

Telegram's CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov was surprisingly arrested at an airport outside Paris on August 24, when he landed with his private plane.

Tech billionaire Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. He left his home country Russia in 2014.

He was released on Wednesday, but is not allowed to leave the country. The 39-year-old is suspected of not having acted against criminals using the platform to commit crimes.

The investigation is led, among others, by Ofmin, a part of the French judiciary that works against exploitation, violence, and abuse of children and young people.

Through his lawyer, Durov denies all allegations, which are described as absurd.

Tags

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Russia Boosts Drone Production to 2,700 Monthly
1 MIN READ

Russia Boosts Drone Production to 2,700 Monthly

Hamas Threat to Israel: Analysts Say Eradication Unlikely
7 MIN READ

Hamas Threat to Israel: Analysts Say Eradication Unlikely

Thousands Gather in Milan to Honor Fashion Icon Giorgio Armani
1 MIN READ

Thousands Gather in Milan to Honor Fashion Icon Giorgio Armani

Zelensky Rejects Putin's Moscow Meeting Invitation
1 MIN READ

Zelensky Rejects Putin's Moscow Meeting Invitation

Israel Urges Gaza Residents to Move to New Humanitarian Zone
1 MIN READ

Israel Urges Gaza Residents to Move to New Humanitarian Zone

Norway Election Poll: Red-Greens Lead as Høyre Faces Historic Low
2 MIN READ

Norway Election Poll: Red-Greens Lead as Høyre Faces Historic Low

Man Killed in Rare Shark Attack at Sydney's Northern Beaches
1 MIN READ

Man Killed in Rare Shark Attack at Sydney's Northern Beaches

Europe Faces Autumn Crisis Amid Trump Tensions
3 MIN READ

Europe Faces Autumn Crisis Amid Trump Tensions

Trump Proposes Hosting Next G20 Summit at His Miami Golf Club
2 MIN READ

Trump Proposes Hosting Next G20 Summit at His Miami Golf Club

Serbian Police Clash with Protesters in Novi Sad Amid Election Demands
1 MIN READ

Serbian Police Clash with Protesters in Novi Sad Amid Election Demands

Trump Engages in Talks with Hamas for Israeli Hostage Release
1 MIN READ

Trump Engages in Talks with Hamas for Israeli Hostage Release

Trump Renames Defense Department to War Department
1 MIN READ

Trump Renames Defense Department to War Department

Lebanon Military Begins Plan to Disarm Hizbollah
1 MIN READ

Lebanon Military Begins Plan to Disarm Hizbollah

Eagle S Captain Denies Intentional Damage to Baltic Sea Cables
2 MIN READ

Eagle S Captain Denies Intentional Damage to Baltic Sea Cables

Trump Deploys 10 F-35 Fighter Jets to Puerto Rico Amid Drug War
2 MIN READ

Trump Deploys 10 F-35 Fighter Jets to Puerto Rico Amid Drug War

WHO Declares Mpox No Longer a Global Health Crisis
1 MIN READ

WHO Declares Mpox No Longer a Global Health Crisis

Sweden's Foreign Minister Meets Zelenskyj to Boost Pressure on Russia
1 MIN READ

Sweden's Foreign Minister Meets Zelenskyj to Boost Pressure on Russia

IAGS Faces Backlash Over Gaza Genocide Resolution
4 MIN READ

IAGS Faces Backlash Over Gaza Genocide Resolution

UK Government Reshuffle: Angela Rayner Resigns, David Lammy Becomes Justice Minister
2 MIN READ

UK Government Reshuffle: Angela Rayner Resigns, David Lammy Becomes Justice Minister

Israeli Military Targets Gaza High-Rises Used by Hamas
1 MIN READ

Israeli Military Targets Gaza High-Rises Used by Hamas