Telegram is no ‘anarchic paradise’ – Durov

The CEO has denied claims that the messenger is a safe haven for criminals

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has said it is wrong to portray his encrypted messenger as a platform where criminals act with impunity.

The Russian-French businessman defended Telegram after being charged by the French authorities with allowing the dissemination of illegal content.

Durov released a lengthy statement on his Telegram channel on Thursday, saying that he had cooperated with French law enforcement in the past. “When asked, I personally helped them establish a hotline with Telegram to deal with the threat of terrorism in France,” he wrote.

Durov acknowledged that Telegram, which currently has more than 950 million monthly active users, has been experiencing “growing pains” that made it easier for criminals to abuse the platform. He promised to “significantly improve” content management.

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“Establishing the right balance between privacy and security is not easy. You have to reconcile privacy laws with law enforcement requirements, and local laws with EU laws,” Durov continued, stressing that his company has been open to dialogue and “committed to engaging with regulators to find the right balance.”

The tech billionaire added that Telegram was “prepared to leave markets that aren’t compatible with our principles,” citing disagreements he had with regulators in Russia and Iran. Telegram was banned in Russia from 2018 to 2020, and continues to be blocked in Iran.

“We are driven by the intention to bring good and defend the basic rights of people, particularly in places where these rights are violated,” Durov wrote.

All of that does not mean Telegram is perfect. Even the fact that authorities could be confused by where to send requests is something that we should improve. But the claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue.

Responding to the accusations of lax moderation practices, Durov said that Telegram takes down “millions of harmful posts and channels every day,” and publishes “daily transparency reports” about actions taken against the dissemination of illegal content, including child abuse and terrorism.

READ MORE: Durov speaks out for first time since arrest in France

French police detained Durov two weeks ago after his private jet landed at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. He was charged with a dozen offenses in connection with the crimes being committed using Telegram, and released on bail a few days later. The messenger’s alleged refusal to cooperate with the authorities ultimately led the investigators to Durov, the prosecutors said in a press release. The CEO, however, denied that Telegram had been ignoring requests from the authorities.