On Saturday morning, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested at the Bourget airport, Paris as part of a broader investigation into the platform's role in facilitating criminal activities through its chats. Telegram, which doesn’t enforce end-to-end encryption by default, has faced scrutiny for its refusal to implement moderation rules and cooperate with law enforcement. Despite having access to chat content, investigators claim Telegram ignored warnings about criminal activity on the platform, leading to Durov's arrest.
This development has sparked a debate, with free speech advocates arguing that Durov’s arrest is a case of government overreach and political censorship. They frame Telegram as a victim of a campaign by what they call the “censorship industrial complex,” aimed at silencing dissenting voices.
However, others point out that Telegram’s decision not to encrypt its chats may have inadvertently led to this situation.
The incident raises questions about whether similar levels of criminal activity occur on fully encrypted apps like WhatsApp. While it’s likely, authorities cannot detect or enforce against such activity due to encryption. Telegram’s more relaxed privacy measures have attracted scrutiny, especially from EU officials seeking to address the platform’s role in criminal activities.
Conservative groups, many of whom use Telegram, are condemning Durov's arrest as an attack on free speech. Back in 2021, X owner Elon Musk recommended using Signal instead of WhatsApp due to privacy concerns. However, his stance shifted after discovering NPR’s former CEO is on Signal’s board, leading some conservatives to move to Telegram, despite its growing reputation for harbouring illegal activity.
In response, Telegram issued a statement defending its compliance with EU laws and moderation standards, while asserting that the platform and its CEO should not be held responsible for user behaviour. However, given Telegram's history of resisting cooperation with authorities, this stance may present challenges for Durov's legal defence.
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Screenshot from Telegram's official channel
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