Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on Thursday made his first public reference to his recent arrest in France. He admitted that the platform’s rapid growth to 950 million users had led to “growing pains” that enabled criminal abuse.
French authorities arrested Durov on August 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris. His arrest was the result of an investigation into Telegram’s role in criminal activities. These activities included drug trafficking and distribution of child sex abuse material. Authorities have linked the problems to a lack of sufficient moderation of content on the platform.
He was eventually charged with helping to manage an online platform that facilitated the illegal activities of organized groups. The action is part of a broader investigation into how technology platforms handle illegal content, raising international concerns about Internet regulation and freedom of expression.
The Durov case has sparked debates about freedom of expression, privacy and the responsibility of technology company CEOs for managing content on the platform.
In a post on Telegram on Thursday, Durov shared the news that French authorities had informed him that he could be held personally liable for the misuse of the platform by others because Telegram had not responded to their requests.
He said he found this surprising, noting that Telegram has an official EU representative who manages and responds to inquiries from the EU.
In addition, Durov criticized the strategy behind his arrest, arguing against holding the CEO accountable for third-party crimes on his platform.
“No innovator will ever create new tools if he knows he can be held personally liable for potential abuses of those tools,” he said.
Durov further stated that Telegram is actively cooperating with the EU’s requests and deleting millions of harmful posts every day.
“All this does not mean that Telegram is perfect,” he wrote. “But the claims of some media outlets that Telegram is some kind of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue.” Durov said he plans to improve the platform’s handling of harmful content. He also intends to simplify the application process for authorities through the app.
Telegram’s CEO could receive a 20-year prison sentence
If convicted of all charges, especially under the strictest interpretation of the law, Durov could be sentenced to 20 years in prison due to the combined penalties. However, his sentence could be more lenient depending on legal factors, such as acquittal on some charges, potential plea bargains or the judge’s discretion on sentencing.
Durov is currently at large on €5 million bail and is not allowed to leave France until at least March 2025. He must also regularly report to the police, indicating that although he has not been imprisoned, his freedom is significantly restricted as he awaits further court proceedings.
