The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Telegram Platform, Pavel Durov, has spoken after his arrest by the French authorities, News About Nigeria reports.
In a statement via his verified handle on X on Friday, he noted that during his interview with the police, he was said to have been responsible for the illegal use of Telegram by people.
He, however, stated that no innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools, adding that his team is working to establish a balance between privacy and security.
Durov also debunked claims that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise, stating that his team takes down millions of harmful posts and channels every day, publish daily transparency reports, and has direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster.
The statement reads in part, “Last month I got interviewed by police for 4 days after arriving in Paris. I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of Telegram, because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from Telegram.
“We’ve been committed to engaging with regulators to find the right balance. Yes, we stand by our principles: our experience is shaped by our mission to protect our users in authoritarian regimes. But we’ve always been open to dialogue.
“The claims in some media that Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise are absolutely untrue. We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day. We publish daily transparency reports. We have direct hotlines with NGOs to process urgent moderation requests faster.”
Recall that Durov was arrested in August and charged with 12 offences related to allegations of his messaging app.
