Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has broken his silence on the accusations and charges brought against him by French authorities. The Russian billionaire, who founded the social media platform Telegram, was arrested last month upon arriving in France to attend a dinner invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron.
In a statement shared on his Telegram channel, Durov addressed the ongoing issues surrounding content moderation on the platform. He clarified that Telegram has an official European Union compliance officer who ensures the app adheres to EU regulations. Durov also criticized the notion of holding tech founders accountable for the actions of platform users, calling it a misguided approach.
Durov expressed surprise at his treatment by French authorities, noting that he had always been accessible for cooperation. He pointed out that Telegram’s EU representative’s contact details were publicly available, and he had previously assisted French authorities in setting up a terrorism hotline with Telegram.
Durov further emphasized the challenges of balancing privacy and security in the digital space. He highlighted the complexity of reconciling privacy laws with law enforcement requirements while adhering to both local and EU regulations, all within the limits of technology.
Following his arrest on August 24, Durov was charged with failing to moderate content on Telegram, facing accusations related to terrorism and drug trafficking. As part of his judicial supervision, he is banned from leaving France and must check in with the police twice a week.
Despite the legal challenges, Durov revealed that Telegram has now reached 950 million global users, a significant milestone from the previous count of 800 million. The Telegram founder, who holds both Russian and French citizenship, remains under legal scrutiny in France.