Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has made his first public comments since facing preliminary charges by French authorities for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the messaging app. In a post on Telegram late Thursday, Durov defended himself against the charges, stating that he should not be personally targeted for crimes committed by others on the platform. He emphasized that holding CEOs personally responsible for actions of third parties on the platform sets a problematic precedent and could stifle innovation in the tech industry.
Acknowledging that Telegram is not exempt from challenges, Durov admitted that the platform’s rapid growth has made it easier for criminals to exploit it. He announced plans to enhance efforts to address these issues and promised to provide updates on the progress soon.
Durov was detained by French investigators at Le Bourget airport outside Paris in August and questioned for four days as part of an ongoing investigation. He was released on 5 million euros bail and is required to report to a police station twice a week. Durov, who holds multiple citizenships including French, is facing accusations that Telegram is being used for illegal activities such as child exploitation and drug trafficking.
During his detention, Durov was allegedly informed that he might be held personally responsible for Telegram users’ illegal activities due to the platform’s failure to cooperate with French authorities. Durov countered this claim by stating that Telegram has a designated representative in the EU to respond to requests and has established channels for reporting illegal content.
He emphasized that French authorities had various means to contact him for assistance and even cited previous cooperation with them on counterterrorism efforts. Durov underscored that when a country has grievances with an online service, the typical procedure is to pursue legal action against the service itself rather than targeting individuals.