In a lengthy message on Telegram, his first reaction after his arrest, Pave Durov called it “surprising” to be held accountable for content posted by others. “Using laws that predate the smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he runs is a misguided approach,” the 39-year-old billionaire said. He also denounced claims that “Telegram is some kind of anarchist paradise,” calling them “absolutely false.” “We remove millions of harmful messages and channels every day,” he insisted.
Durov denied France’s accusations that Paris had not received any response from Telegram to its requests. The Russian said he had personally helped French authorities “set up a hotline with Telegram to deal with the terrorist threat in France.” Striking a more conciliatory tone at the end of his message, Durov acknowledged that the sharp increase in the number of Telegram users — now estimated at 950 million worldwide — had created a situation that “made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.” “That is why I have set myself the personal goal of ensuring that things improve significantly in this regard,” he promised, adding that the matter was being reviewed “internally” and that more details would be communicated later.
“I hope that the events of August will allow Telegram and the social media industry as a whole to become safer and stronger,” he said. He concluded that if Telegram could not reach an agreement with local regulators on the “right balance between privacy and security,” then “we would be ready to leave the country.”
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
