Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Promises Changes, Noting It's Become Easier for 'Criminals to Abuse Our Platform'

CORRECTION (Sept. 6, 2024, 20:19 UTC): An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Telegram had changed its policy for private chats to permit moderators to police them. According to Telegram, there has been no change; moderators were already able to review private chats if a member of that chat requested that.

Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram who was recently jailed in France over allegations his social-media and messaging giant failed to police illegal content, said Thursday that the app's rapid growth "made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform" and promised changes.

Durov, in a post on Telegram, expressed surprise at his arrest in France, writing that it's unusual for a country to hold a founder accountable for what other people do on their platform.

He nonetheless said that "establishing the right balance between privacy and security is not easy."

Durov said that when Telegram is unable to agree with a country's approach, it leaves that country – as it did with Russia.