Telegram CEO speaks publicly for the first time since being targeted by French authorities

PARIS– Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, vowed to step up efforts to combat crime on the messaging app, his first public comment since French authorities filed preliminary charges against him for allegedly allowing the platform to be used for criminal activities.

In a Telegram post late Thursday, Durov defended himself against the French judicial investigation, saying he should not have been personally targeted.

“Using pre-smartphone laws to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach,” the post said. “Developing technology is hard enough. No innovator will ever develop new tools knowing they can be held personally accountable for potential misuse of those tools.”

While stressing that Telegram is not an “anarchic paradise,” Durov also said that the increasing number of Telegram users “led to growth problems that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”

“That is why I have made it my personal goal to ensure that we significantly improve things in this regard. We have already started this process internally and I will share with you further details on our progress shortly,” he said.

French investigators arrested Durov at Le Bourget airport outside Paris in late August and questioned him for four days as part of a wide-ranging investigation launched earlier this year. Durov was released on €5 million bail and must report to police twice a week. The Russian-born man holds multiple nationalities, including French.

The French allegations against Durov include using Telegram to spread material about child sexual abuse and drug trafficking and that the platform has refused to provide information or documents to investigators despite being required to do so by law.

In his post, Durov said that while in police custody, he was “told that I may be personally responsible for the illegal use of Telegram by others because the French authorities have not received any responses from Telegram.”

“This was surprising for several reasons,” he added.

He said Telegram has an official representative in the European Union who responds to EU inquiries using a public email address.

Telegram's website informs users that they can contact the app via a bot, and provides a link to report illegal content. It also provides an email address and phone number for “competent authorities of the EU and EU members.” “If you are not a competent authority of the EU or of an EU member, your request will not be processed,” it says.

In his post, Durov said: “The French authorities had numerous opportunities to reach me and ask for support.” He also said he had previously worked with them to “set up a hotline using Telegram to address the terrorist threat in France.”

“When a country is dissatisfied with an internet service, the common practice is to take legal action against the service itself,” he said.