Following what he describes as a “legally and logically nonsensical” arrest in August 2024, Telegram founder Pavel Durov has criticized French authorities of harming France’s standing as a free nation.
Last year, Durov was held for four days in France after authorities claimed that third parties were using Telegram to plan crimes. The action was exceptional since it held a technology executive directly liable for users’ independent acts. In a fresh statement commemorating a year since his arrest, Durov claimed that the investigation is still “struggling” to uncover any proof of misconduct on the part of Telegram or him personally.
He emphasized that Telegram has continuously complied with all legally required requests from French authorities and that its moderation procedures are in line with industry norms. Ironically, Durov said that the police had made a mistake in making his arrest, failing to follow the correct legal procedures for demands under French and EU law for years.
Durov claimed that despite the lack of progress, he is still subject to limitations that require him to visit France every 14 days and that there is no anticipated date for an appeal. He described the current state of affairs as an example of the extent to which France’s reputation as a free and democratic country has been damaged.
Global backlash and ongoing privacy battle
Many in the IT, crypto, and human rights groups condemned the detention, claiming that the French government was trying to coerce Durov into permitting censorship. President Emmanuel Macron insisted that France is still dedicated to protecting liberties under the rule of law and denied that the imprisonment had any political motivation. Critics countered that it is irrational to hold a platform accountable for user-generated crime, accusing the government of duplicity.
Despite pressure from the authorities, Durov has always vowed that Telegram will never give over encryption keys or create backdoors into its system. He underlined that although the business complies with legitimate legal frameworks, it will withdraw from countries that try to jeopardize customer privacy.
As long as there is no proof of misconduct, the French investigation is ongoing, and Durov is still traveling to Paris every two weeks despite what he calls a ” strange arrest with no end in sight.”