Pavel Durov recently addressed his indictment in France, defending Telegram’s moderation efforts and criticizing authorities for targeting him personally over users’ illegal activities.

Nearly a week after the CEO of Telegram was indicted in France, Durov released a statement addressing his legal troubles in the country. He expressed surprise at the charges, emphasizing that Telegram has an official EU representative handling law enforcement requests. Durov criticized the authorities for bypassing established communication channels and questioning him directly.

He argued that using pre-smartphone laws to charge a CEO for crimes committed by others on the platform is a misguided approach. Durov defended Telegram’s moderation practices, highlighting the platform’s daily efforts to remove harmful content and maintain hotlines with NGOs for urgent requests.

We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports… we have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster.

Durov emphasized the challenges of balancing privacy and security while maintaining global consistency, especially in countries with weaker laws. He mentioned Telegram’s willingness to leave markets where its principles are compromised, citing bans in Russia and Iran for refusing government demands.

We are prepared to leave markets that aren’t compatible with our principles because we are not doing this for money. We are driven by the intention to bring good and defend the basic rights of people, particularly in places where these rights are violated.

The arrest led to a sharp decline in Toncoin, the cryptocurrency linked to Telegram, which plunged 20% around the time of Durov’s arrest.

Durov was placed under judicial supervision after being indicted on charges related to inadequate content moderation on Telegram, including accusations of terrorism and drug trafficking. He was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris and now faces a court-mandated ban on leaving French territory and must check in with the police twice a week.

Durov, a Franco-Russian billionaire, has faced legal challenges, with French authorities accusing him of complicity in various illegal activities. He faced 12 alleged charges.

Durov acknowledged that Telegram has a long way to go before being crime-free. He expressed his commitment to improving Telegram’s content moderation efforts, acknowledging some growing pains due to the platform’s rapid user growth.

Telegram’s abrupt increase in user count to 950M caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform. That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard.

He reaffirmed the company’s mission to protect user privacy while cooperating with regulators. However, he made it clear that Telegram is willing to exit markets where its values are compromised.

The crypto community strongly supported Durov following his arrest.

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