Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, revealed new features designed to address illegal content, bots, and scammers just one week after being arrested and accused by French officials of breaching the messaging app’s regulations.
Durov ended his silence by making his first public remarks after his arrest, criticizing the arrest as “misguided” and “surprising.”
However, he acknowledged that Telegram could have been more flawless.
He emphasized that Telegram would step up efforts to address illegal content, which he believes originates from a small fraction of its 950 million users.
Users involved in illegal activities
“While 99.999 percent of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001 percent involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk,” Durov wrote in his new statement on Telegram.
“That’s why this year we are committed to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise,” he added.
Durov mentioned that Telegram had eliminated the “people nearby” function, enabling users to find other Telegram users. He mentioned that less than 0.1 percent of Telegram users used it, but it had problems with bots and scammers.
In its place, Telegram is launching “businesses nearby” to showcase “legitimate, verified businesses.”
He said Telegram had also disabled new media uploads to Telegraph, its standalone blogging tool, “which seems to have been misused by anonymous actors.”
Durov, aged 39, faced multiple charges for not controlling extremist and illegal content on Telegram after being detained for four days.
On August 24, upon his arrival on a private jet, he was taken into custody at Le Bourget airport just outside Paris. Investigators interrogated him in the following days.
Durov was given bail amounting to five million euros ($5.5 million) on the condition that he report to a police station twice a week and stay in France.
Arrest of CEO
French authorities confirmed in late August that Pavel Durov, the Russian-born tech billionaire and CEO of the social messaging app Telegram , had been detained.
Reports from French media indicate that his detention is linked to alleged violations connected to the social media platform.
Authorities were reportedly preparing to charge Durov with serious offenses, including aiding terrorism, fraud, money laundering, and crimes against children.
According to French officials, these charges allegedly arise from the platform’s minimal content moderation, which has made Telegram a preferred tool for organized crime.
The French news outlet TF1 first reported the news, citing sources close to the investigation.
The source stated, “Pavel Durov is expected to remain in pretrial detention. His platform has facilitated countless offenses and crimes, with little to no moderation or cooperation from him.”
According to TF1, Durov was detained on Saturday night while returning from Azerbaijan on a private jet, which landed at Le Bourget airport near Paris.
Telegram released its first official statement on Sunday regarding the detention of its CEO. The company strongly supported Durov and hoped for a swift resolution to the situation.
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