Telegram’s Pavel Durov fights arrest: Says France used outdated laws

In his first public statement since his arrest in France, Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov described his arrest as a “misguided approach” to cracking down on illegal content on the social media platform. Durov, who was arrested last week, is charged with allegedly enabling criminal activity on the app.

Durov expressed his confusion and criticism of the French authorities on his Telegram channel on Friday, suggesting that they should have approached Telegram with their concerns instead of taking him personally.

The 39-year-old billionaire is accused of facilitating the distribution of child abuse material, fraud and drug sales on Telegram, according to French prosecutors. “No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be held personally responsible for the potential misuse of those tools,” Durov wrote, as reported by the New York Times.

Durov acknowledged that the rapid growth of Telegram, which is now used by 950 million people, has inadvertently made it an easy target for criminal exploitation. He emphasized his commitment to solving these problems, saying: “That’s why I’ve made it my personal goal to make sure we significantly improve things in this area.”

Despite criticism from French prosecutors about Telegram’s inadequate response to criminal investigations, Durov called the arrest “a surprise.” He denied that Telegram is an “anarchist paradise” and noted that the platform removes millions of malicious posts every day. Durov announced that Telegram will soon introduce more measures to combat abuse.

“We are driven by the intention to do good and defend people’s basic rights, especially in places where these rights are violated,” Durov added. He suggested that France’s use of outdated laws, stemming from the “pre-smartphone era,” is an inappropriate basis to charge him with crimes committed by Telegram users, and argued that legal action should instead be aimed at the company.

Durov also highlighted the complex balance Telegram maintains between privacy and security, saying the platform has resisted pressure from Russian and Iranian governments, even at the risk of being banned. (ANI)

(With input from agencies.)