Pavel Durov, CEO of the famous social media and messaging app Telegram breaks his silence for the first time since arrest. French authorities arrested him at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on August 24. On September 5, he shared the story on his Telegram channel. Let’s dive in to understand why French authorities arrested him and what charges they put on him.

Why did the authorities arrest Durov?

French authorities arrested Durov on the charges related to Telegram’s moderation policies. The authorities claim that Telegram has allowed illegal activities. These include drug trafficking and the distribution of harmful content like child pornography. Durov shared in his Telegram post that they questioned him for four days. The authorities informed him that they could hold him responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram. French authorities claim they arrested him because Telegram did not respond to their law enforcement requests.

Durov Response to the Accusations

Durov expressed his surprise at the arrest and the charges in his Telegram post. He stated that there are many ways for French authorities to reach him without detaining him. Telegram even has an official representative in the EU who handles all the law enforcement requests. His email is publicly available for anyone. He also revealed that he was a frequent guest at the French consulate in Dubai. Once he helped the French authorities personally by setting up a hotline with Telegram to deal with terrorism threats in France. #to #TelegramCEO $TON