Telegram stated that its co-founder Pavel Durov’s arrest in France is part of a police investigation, but he has “nothing to hide,” and claimed that the operation of the application complies with EU laws.
Durov, aged 39, is a Russian-born billionaire who co-founded Telegram with his brother Nikolai. He was arrested upon arrival at Le Bourget Airport in Paris on Saturday night after flying in from Azerbaijan on a private plane.
Based in Dubai, Telegram stated that the application’s auditing work “meets industry standards and is continuously improving.”
The statement mentioned, “Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide. He travels frequently in Europe. Holding a platform or its owner responsible for its misuse is absurd.”
The statement added, “We are awaiting a swift resolution to this situation, and Telegram stands in solidarity with everyone.”
French authorities have not commented on Durov’s arrest, the usual practice in criminal investigations in France. However, local media reports have indicated that arrest warrants have been issued, accusing Telegram of being used for money laundering, drug trafficking, and sharing content related to child sexual abuse.
Durov holds dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates and co-founded the Telegram application with his brother, a cryptography expert, in 2013.
Several governments have criticized Telegram for lacking content moderation.
Earlier this month, following riots in the UK, government minister Jim McMahon told the BBC he was “concerned” about a list of immigration lawyers circulating on Telegram with the phrase “no more immigration.”
Telegram has approximately one billion users, with significant influence in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet countries.
The number of users in Western Europe and North America on Telegram is steadily growing, positioning it as one of the world’s largest social media platforms alongside Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat.
Durov’s arrest prompted Chris Pavlovski, owner of the Rumble website, to issue a warning, stating that freedom of speech in Europe is under attack.
Pavlovski wrote on the social media platform X, “I have just safely left Europe. France threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed the line by arresting Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, allegedly for not censoring speech.”
He added, “Rumble will not tolerate this behavior and will use all available legal means to fight for freedom of speech, a universal human right. We are currently involved in legal proceedings in France, and we hope for the immediate release of Pavel Durov.”
X owner Elon Musk retweeted Pavlovski’s post.
Musk previously stated, “Moderation is just a propaganda term for censorship.”
The Russian government also expressed outrage over Durov’s arrest, accusing Western NGOs of using double standards on freedom of speech issues.
Maria Zakharova of the Russian Foreign Ministry posted on her personal Telegram account, “In 2018, 26 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, and Committee to Protect Journalists, condemned the Russian court’s decision to block Telegram.”
She added, “Do you think they will now appeal to Paris to release Durov?”
Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with requests to shut down an opposition community on another social media platform, VK, which he later sold.
Earlier this year, he stated, “I prefer freedom over obedience to anyone.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Durov in Azerbaijan last week. However, he stated that without knowing the details of the French charges, he could not comment on the arrest.
Telegram is not the first encrypted application targeted by French authorities.
In 2019, the French National Gendarmerie’s institute for criminal research, IRCGN, and the C3N cybercrime unit breached servers belonging to Sky ECC, a Canadian-owned encrypted network near Lille in Roubaix.
The following year, they breached servers of EncroChat, also located in the OVH building in Roubaix, claiming the action was for “national security” reasons and refused to disclose the intrusion method.
In June 2020, 50,000 EncroChat users received notifications that their encryption had been compromised. Subsequently, thousands of people across Europe have been convicted of criminal offenses based on EncroChat evidence.
Many convicted individuals in the UK maintain their innocence, arguing that France’s hacking of EncroChat was a “real-time interception,” with evidence inadmissible in UK courts.
In June 2021, Canadian Thomas Herdman was arrested in Madrid and later extradited to France, charged with involvement in the sale of Sky ECC encrypted phones to organized crime groups.
He is currently detained in Fleury-Mérogis prison, facing 22 charges awaiting trial, with multiple bail requests denied.
It is reported that the prosecutor who pursued Herdman and Sky ECC, Johanna Brousse, may be involved in the investigation against Telegram.
Sky ECC was founded by the Vancouver-based Sky Global company, with founder Jean-Francois Eap and Herdman both indicted by US federal authorities. While Herdman was extradited to Paris, Eap has not been extradited by US federal authorities.
Original article source: 大紀元時報(repository：https://www.epochtimes.jp/)