Pavel Durov speaks for the first time about his arrest in France
Pavel Durov spoke out promising improvements to the platform's security in light of its growing number of users
Telegram co-founder and CEO Pavel Durov has broken his silence on his recent arrest in France, which occurred two weeks ago. In a lengthy message posted on his Telegram channel, Durov called his arrest "surprising" and addressed the accusations by the French authorities, who accuse him of extremist and illegal content spread on the platform.
Durov explained that he was interviewed by the police for four days after his arrival in Paris. According to him, the French authorities hold him personally responsible for the illegal use of Telegram by third parties, due to the company's lack of response to French requests. However, the businessman stressed that Telegram has an official representative in the European Union to handle such requests, which, in his opinion, should have been enough to clear up any doubts.
In addition, Durov criticized that, despite being in frequent contact with the French consulate in Dubai and having previously collaborated with the French authorities to combat terrorism, he was not contacted directly before his arrest.
The businessman considered it unfair that laws "from the pre-smartphone era" are used to accuse a CEO of crimes committed by users of a platform that he manages. He defended Telegram's position, stating that the company strives to find a balance between privacy and security, collaborating with regulators from different countries. He clarified that Telegram is willing to leave markets that do not respect its principles, since they do not operate for economic purposes, but to defend the basic rights of people.
Durov also addressed criticism that Telegram is a “lawless paradise,” calling it false, and stressed that the platform removes millions of harmful messages and channels every day. However, he acknowledged that the massive growth of the user base, which now stands at 950 million, has facilitated abuse by criminals. In response, he promised to introduce changes to improve the platform’s security.
The entrepreneur expressed hope that recent events will lead to a safer and stronger social media industry. He thanked the support he received during his arrest, including the solidarity of figures such as Elon Musk, who promoted the hashtag #FreePavel on his social network.
Pavel Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris after arriving on his private jet. He was questioned for several days and released on bail of 5 million euros, on condition that he not leave France and report to local authorities twice a week.
The 39-year-old Russian businessman also holds French and United Arab Emirates nationality, where Telegram is based. According to Forbes, his fortune is valued at 15.5 billion dollars, although he promotes an austere lifestyle, far from excesses.