‘I Was Told I May Be…’: Telegram CEO Speaks On Potential Arrest

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov addressed his recent arrest in Paris, where he faced charges of publishing extremist and illegal content. Durov called the arrest “surprising” and the charges “misguided,” promising changes to Telegram’s features to prevent misuse by criminals.

Arrested over accusations of not removing illegal content, including child pornography, his bail was set at $5.6 million, with biweekly police reporting. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, arrested last month in Paris over charges of publishing extremist content, called the accusations “misguided” and “surprising.”

He promised to make changes to Telegram’s features to prevent misuse. Durov, facing charges for failing to remove illegal content, including child pornography, argued that CEOs shouldn’t be held accountable for platform abuse, stating that it would stifle innovation.

His bail was set at $5.6 million. Pavel Durov criticized the charges against him, arguing that using outdated laws to hold a CEO responsible for third-party actions on a platform is “misguided.” He emphasized that such accountability would deter innovation.

Reflecting on his arrest, Durov said he was questioned for four days, adding that French authorities could have easily found Telegram’s EU address to seek assistance rather than arresting him.

Pavel Durov defended Telegram’s content moderation, stating that despite the platform’s efforts to remove millions of harmful posts daily, claims of it being an “anarchic paradise” are false. He announced the removal of some features, like the blogging tool Telegraph, to improve the platform’s image.

Durov emphasized that while the vast majority of users are law-abiding, the actions of a tiny fraction impact the entire platform. He also expressed willingness to exit countries that abuse user privacy, citing examples like Iran and Russia.