Pavel Durov Criticizes Outdated Laws After Arrest over Telegram Criminal Activity

• The Telegram CEO declared after his recent arrest in France that he’s not responsible for third parties.
• Durov believes the service is supposed to be targeted in such cases, not the owner.
• His post on Telegram noted maintaining both privacy and security is a challenge.

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, addressed the charges brought against him for alleged criminal activities facilitated through the messaging platform after his arrest in France. He argued that holding a CEO accountable for third-party actions on a digital platform is a "misguided approach," especially when outdated laws are applied. 

He remarked that legal actions should typically target the service rather than individuals managing it. Durov also emphasized the inherent challenge of balancing privacy with security, indicating Telegram's readiness to exit markets incompatible with its commitment to safeguarding user privacy, particularly in authoritarian regimes.

Pavel Durov was formally charged on Wednesday and placed under judicial supervision following his arrest on Saturday. He was required a €5 million bail and to report to the police station twice a week without leaving French territory.

Accusations include enabling organized crime, illicit transactions, drug trafficking, and fraud as part of an investigation related to the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by an unnamed individual via Telegram. 

The Russian-born billionaire and Telegram CEO, who also has French citizenship, was taken into custody last weekend at a private jet airport north of Paris while he was traveling from Azerbaijan. 

Arrest warrants for Durov and his co-founder brother Nikolai were issued in March 2024. However, there’s no suggestion of either of the Durov brothers’ direct involvement in the said illegal activities.

The French arrest warrant is part of a preliminary investigation led by a cybersecurity gendarmerie and the national anti-fraud police unit. The inquiry looks into the alleged enabling of a wide array of crimes due to a lack of Telegram moderators and cooperation with the police.

A Telegram statement declared Pavel Durov has “nothing to hide,” underlining the absurdity of linking the abuse of a platform to its owner. The statement also mentioned that the Dubai-based company abides by European Union laws.

This week, Telegram deleted 25 deepfake sex videos pointed out by the Korea Communications Standards Commission and apologized to the Commission.

This year, concerns over Telegram becoming a tool for hackers to deploy malware increased. Telegram’s versatility as a messaging app attracted cybercriminals who use Telegram's API to create bots for their criminal activities. The bots can send back alerts with real-time updates about the infected target, mainly in complex attacks on websites.