Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has finally opened up after his arrest. Yesterday, he released a statement on his Telegram account saying, “Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”
This unexpected development raises questions about the future of Telegram and the implications for digital privacy and freedom of expression.
Why Was Pavel Durov Arrested?
Pavel Durov was arrested in France on August 25, 2024. This arrest was related to allegations like drug trafficking, sharing child abuse videos, and money laundering.
According to French authorities, Telegram failed to moderate content on its platform, allowing illegal activities to flourish. This arrest sparked debate about the responsibilities of tech companies to prevent illicit activities on their platform, especially when they are operating in different legal frameworks.
What Was In The Statement Released by Telegram’s CEO?
Pavel Durov, Telegram’s CEO, released a 600-word statement explaining why he was surprised to be arrested in France. He says Telegram has been extremely cooperative with authorities and has taken significant steps to stop illegal activities.
Here's a breakdown of the main points covered in the released statement:
Telegram Has Been Transparent
Durov says that Telegram has a public contact Address for law enforcement agencies and has cooperated with them.
They also have an official EU representative whose email address is publicly available to anyone who Google’s “Telegram EU address for law enforcement.”
France Had Other Options
The CEO says that the French authorities had several options to reach him. They could have contacted him directly or through the French consulate in Dubai.
Durev also says he helped the French authorities a while back establish a hotline to deal with terrorism threats in France.
Charging the CEO for These Crimes Is Unfair
Durov believes it's unfair to hold him responsible for the crimes committed on Telegram. He says, “If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself. Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on his management platform is a misguided approach.”
If this continues, innovators won't build any new tools due to the fear of being held personally responsible for the potential abuse of those tools.
Balancing Privacy and Security Is Difficult
He acknowledges that establishing the right balance between privacy and security takes work. This becomes more difficult when reconciling privacy laws with law enforcement requirements and local laws with EU laws.
As a platform operating globally, Telegram also needs to ensure they are not being abused in other countries with weak rule of law.
Telegram Has Principles
Pavel Durov explains that Telegram has and is committed to protecting its user's privacy. This means they are ready to leave a country when they can't agree with a country's regulator and strike the right balance between privacy and security.
They have done it previously with Russia and Iran. Telegram is prepared to leave markets that aren't compatible with their principal. This is because they are not doing this for money and are driven by the intention to bring good and defend people's basic rights.
Telegram Is Not Perfect, but It Is Working to Improve
Lastly, Durov admits that Telegram could be better and will take major steps to make it safer and stronger. He says their team takes down millions of harmful posts and channels daily and publishes transparency reports regularly. They also have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent requests faster.
However, despite all this, they still say this is not enough. A recent abrupt increase in Telegram's user count to 950 million caused great pain, making it easier for criminals to abuse it. The process to make Telegram safer and stronger started internally, and more details about the progress will be shared soon.