Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has stated that it’s utterly mistaken to painting his encrypted messenger as a platform the place criminals act with impunity.
The Russian-French businessman defended Telegram after being charged by the French authorities with permitting the dissemination of unlawful content material.
Durov launched a prolonged assertion on his Telegram channel on Thursday, saying that he had cooperated with French legislation enforcement prior to now. “When requested, I personally helped them set up a hotline with Telegram to take care of the specter of terrorism in France,” he wrote.
Durov acknowledged that Telegram, which presently has greater than 950 million month-to-month lively customers, has been experiencing “rising pains” that made it simpler for criminals to abuse the platform. He promised to “considerably enhance” content material administration.
“Establishing the suitable stability between privateness and safety just isn’t simple. You need to reconcile privateness legal guidelines with legislation enforcement necessities, and native legal guidelines with EU legal guidelines,” Durov continued, stressing that his firm has been open to dialogue and “dedicated to participating with regulators to seek out the suitable stability.”
The tech billionaire added that Telegram was “ready to depart markets that aren’t suitable with our ideas,” citing disagreements he had with regulators in Russia and Iran. Telegram was banned in Russia from 2018 and 2020, and continues to be blocked in Iran.
“We’re pushed by the intention to convey good and defend the essential rights of individuals, notably in locations the place these rights are violated,” Durov wrote.
All of that doesn’t imply Telegram is ideal. Even the truth that authorities might be confused by the place to ship requests is one thing that we must always enhance. However the claims in some media that Telegram is a few type of anarchic paradise are completely unfaithful.
Responding to the accusations of lax moderation practices, Durov stated that Telegram takes down “tens of millions of dangerous posts and channels day by day,” and publishes “day by day transparency reviews” about actions taken in opposition to the dissemination of unlawful content material, together with little one abuse and terrorism.
French police detained Durov two weeks in the past after his personal jet landed at Paris-Le Bourget Airport. He was charged with a dozen offenses in reference to the crimes being dedicated utilizing Telegram, and launched on bail just a few days later. The messenger’s alleged refusal to cooperate with the authorities in the end led the investigators to Durov, the prosecutors stated in a press launch. The CEO, nonetheless, denied that Telegram had been ignoring requests from the authorities.
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