tl;dr
Pavel Durov, Telegram's founder, criticized the ongoing French criminal investigation into him as lacking evidence and called his August 2024 arrest unprecedented. He argued it was illogical to hold him responsible for users' actions and stated Telegram complies with industry moderation standards an...
Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, recently addressed the ongoing criminal investigation against him in France, describing it as “struggling” to uncover any evidence of wrongdoing. He characterized his August 2024 arrest by French authorities as “unprecedented” and criticized the logic of holding a tech executive responsible for the independent actions of users on the platform. In a Telegram post, Durov reiterated that Telegram’s moderation policies conform with industry standards and stressed that the company has complied with every legally binding request from France.
Despite the investigation stretching over a year, Durov remains subject to biweekly travel restrictions to France, with no appeal date announced. He warned that the French government’s actions have inflicted lasting damage on the nation’s reputation as a bastion of freedom. The arrest has ignited widespread backlash from the cryptocurrency community, human rights organizations, and free speech advocates, many of whom accuse France of attempting to coerce Telegram into increased censorship.
Durov faces charges related to Telegram’s content moderation policies, amid allegations from French law enforcement that the platform harbors harmful content. French President Emmanuel Macron denied that the arrest was politically motivated, emphasizing the rule of law as a guiding principle for balancing freedoms and citizen protection. This assertion, however, received sharp criticism from voices in the crypto sector, including Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz, who questioned the expectations placed on authorities to control all crime.
Throughout the controversy, Durov has maintained that Telegram will fully cooperate with lawful requests but will not compromise user privacy or introduce backdoors into its encryption. He reiterated his commitment to exiting jurisdictions rather than acceding to censorship demands, highlighting the ongoing tension between regulatory pressure and privacy rights in the digital age.