Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging service, was arrested by French authorities on Saturday, August 24.
Two days after the arrest of Pavel Durov, head of the Telegram messaging service, Emmanuel Macron spoke out to counter what he calls “false information.”
“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French territory took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide,” assured the President of the Republic in a tweet posted online on August 26.
“France is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of enterprise. It will remain so. In a state governed by the rule of law, on social networks as in real life, freedoms are exercised within a framework established by law to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights,” adds Emmanuel Macron.
Since Pavel Durov’s arrest, no information has been officially communicated by the French authorities on the reasons for his arrest. But as Emmanuel Macron and several sources close to the case suggest, the operation could be linked to a lack of moderation of the Telegram messaging service in the face of the profusion of illegal publications, for example linked to content of a pedocriminal, terrorist or hateful nature.
Response to criticism
By mentioning freedom of expression, Emmanuel Macron also intends to respond to the many criticisms aimed at France since the arrest of Pavel Durov, starting with those of Elon Musk. This is indeed the first time that the leader of a major social network or messaging service has been imprisoned due to illegal activities on its platform.
Launched in 2013, the Telegram app now has nearly a billion users worldwide. Unlike Whatsapp, which is essentially an encrypted messaging app, Telegram offers features similar to those of social networks like Twitter, thanks to channels that can accumulate hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Telegram is often described as the worst performer in terms of moderation, allowing a lot of illegal content to be spread, with sometimes violent photos and videos, racist or negationist publications.
The platform is also frequently used to distribute pirated content, for example related to sporting events. It is regularly criticized by the authorities for its lack of cooperation with law enforcement. On August 25, Telegram assured that it “complies with European Union laws.”
