Vithanage Erandi Kawshalya Madhushani Jade Times Staff
V.E.K. Madhushani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Europe.
Pavel Durov Denies Allegations of Insufficient Moderation on Telegram, Defends Platform’s Policies
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has strongly criticized French authorities, describing his recent arrest over allegations of insufficient moderation on the messaging app as "misguided." In his first public statement since his detention, Durov rejected claims that Telegram is an "anarchic paradise," calling these accusations "absolutely untrue."
Durov was arrested on August 25 at an airport north of Paris and has since been placed under formal investigation for suspected complicity in enabling illicit transactions, drug trafficking, fraud, and the distribution of child sex abuse images on the platform. Under French law, being placed under formal investigation does not imply guilt or guarantee a trial but indicates that there is sufficient evidence for judges to proceed with an investigation.
In his statement, published on Telegram, Durov argued that holding him personally accountable for crimes committed by third parties on the platform is both "surprising" and a "misguided approach." He emphasized that, traditionally, if a country is dissatisfied with an internet service, it typically initiates legal action against the service itself, not its executives.
"Using outdated laws from the pre smartphone era to charge a CEO for third party crimes on the platform he manages is a misguided approach," said the Russian born billionaire, who also holds French citizenship. "Building technology is challenging enough without the risk of personal liability for potential abuses of those technologies."
While acknowledging that Telegram is not without flaws, Durov noted that French authorities have several avenues to communicate with him and Telegram, including an official representative in the EU. He refuted media claims portraying Telegram as an unregulated space, insisting, "We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day."
Telegram allows groups of up to 200,000 members, a feature that critics argue facilitates the spread of misinformation and allows users to share extremist, conspiratorial, or illegal content, including neo Nazi, pedophilic, and terror related material. Recently, the platform faced scrutiny in the UK for hosting far right channels that played a role in organizing violent unrest in English cities.
While Telegram has removed some offending groups, cybersecurity experts contend that the app's content moderation system is significantly weaker compared to other social media and messaging platforms. In his statement, Durov acknowledged the challenges, admitting that a surge in Telegram’s user base now at 950 million has caused "growing pains" that have made it easier for criminals to misuse the platform. He committed to "significantly improving things in this regard."
Durov’s comments come amid revelations that Telegram has declined to participate in international initiatives aimed at detecting and removing child abuse material online.
Pavel Durov, 39, was born in Russia and currently resides in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered. He holds citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and France. Founded in 2013, Telegram is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet states. The app was banned in Russia in 2018 after Durov refused to provide user data but the ban was lifted in 2021. Today, Telegram ranks among the leading social media platforms, alongside giants like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.
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