In his opinion, the charges that led to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France can be leveled against all major social media apps. In his statement on Telegram, Durov also tried to condemn Meta, which has attracted even more negative attention with its moderation efforts. The arrest is related to accusations of moderation of content shared on the platform. They are accused of not sufficiently enforcing moderation obligations for their messenger and lacking willingness to cooperate with responsible authorities against criminal acts. Telegram has long been suspected of finding and meeting people with criminal intent.
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Durov also writes: “Media coverage of Meta’s moderation efforts has been exclusively negative for most of its history. Interestingly, Meta was also the first social media company to reach a valuation of over a trillion dollars.” Durov believes that Telegram will undergo a similar growth phase and that “as we rapidly grow in size and importance, we will solve any potential challenges the same way we solve everything else — with efficiency, innovation, and respect for privacy and freedom of expression.”
Telegram called the allegations “absurd”
Telegram also wrote in its statement that the accusations were “absurd.” The messenger complies with the Digital Services Act (DSA). Among other things, it requires adequate moderation obligations from platform providers in the EU, as well as reporting offices for users. X and TikTok have already received letters from the EU Commission asking them to provide information about their practices. France has now reacted to the arrest as Durov is said to have refused to cooperate with French law enforcement authorities. As a result, he was accused of crimes related to terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, receiving stolen property, and sharing pedophile content.
Telegram claims that it is “absurd” to blame a provider and owner for the misuse of the platform. In fact, the DSA does not directly regulate that providers and owners are responsible, but rather imposes certain obligations on them, such as intervening within a certain period if they become aware of irregularities. Moderation must also be consistent with the current state of development.
(EMW)
