Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Arrested in France Over App Misuse
Washington DC [US], September 6: Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France and charged with allowing criminal activity on the messaging app. Durov, who is Russian-born, called it a ‘misguided approach’ to hold him personally responsible for the spread of illicit content on the platform.
In his first statement following the arrest, Durov posted on his Telegram channel that he is still trying to understand what happened in France. He suggested that French authorities should have approached his companies with their complaints instead of arresting him.
The 39-year-old billionaire has been charged with crimes on Telegram, including the spread of child sexual abuse material, fraud, and drug sales, according to French prosecutors. Durov stated, ‘No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools.’
Durov acknowledged that the platform’s ‘growing pains’ had made it easy for criminals to abuse it, but he has made it his personal goal to improve things significantly. He also dismissed the perception that Telegram is an ‘anarchic paradise,’ stating that the app takes down millions of harmful posts daily.
French prosecutors said Durov was arrested partly because of Telegram’s ‘almost total lack of response’ to requests related to criminal investigations. Durov, however, said it was ‘a surprise’ for him and defended the app, stating that Telegram would announce further changes to address the abuse of the platform ‘very soon.’
Durov emphasized that Telegram aims to bring good and defend basic rights, especially in places where these rights are violated. He also noted that France was using laws from the ‘pre-smartphone era’ to charge him with crimes by Telegram’s users and suggested that legal action should be brought against his company, not him personally.
Operating a global communications platform is a tricky balance between privacy and security, Durov added, mentioning that in Russia and Iran, Telegram has been willing to be banned rather than cede to government demands.
Doubts Revealed
Telegram -: Telegram is a messaging app that people use to send messages, photos, videos, and files to each other. It’s similar to WhatsApp or Signal.
Pavel Durov -: Pavel Durov is one of the people who created Telegram. He is like the boss of the company that made the app.
Arrested -: When someone is arrested, it means the police have taken them into custody because they think the person did something wrong.
France -: France is a country in Europe. It is famous for the Eiffel Tower and its capital city, Paris.
Criminal activity -: Criminal activity means doing something that is against the law, like stealing or hurting someone.
Misguided approach -: A misguided approach means doing something in a way that is not correct or effective. Pavel Durov thinks the police are not handling the situation properly.
Platform -: A platform in this context means the app or service that people use, like Telegram.
Harmful posts -: Harmful posts are messages or content that can hurt people or break the rules, like bullying or spreading false information.
Basic rights -: Basic rights are the fundamental freedoms and protections that everyone should have, like the right to speak freely and the right to privacy.