Telegram is efficient, says app founder in lawsuit against him

Although Pavel Durov acknowledged the “gravity” of the accusations against him, he said he was working on improving his moderation processes.

New statements by Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, have come to light. The entrepreneur, who was accused last year of not having taken adequate measures to prevent the use of his platform, has acknowledged the “seriousness” of the charges against him.

Durov added that when he and his brother created Telegram in 2013, they did not intend for it to be used by “criminals.” He clarified that although the presence of such malicious people is “a tiny fraction” of users, it has increased.

This update of the case, which is being carried out before the French courts, corresponds to the events in December 2024 to which the AFP news agency had access.

During the trial, Durov was questioned about whether he was aware of Telegram's “simple use” that “allows anyone to access illicit platforms,” but the app's founder disagreed and claimed that the online messaging service he created is “efficient.”

Durov said that Telegram deletes “between 15 and 20 million user accounts and between 1 and 2 million channels and groups.”

"We are committed to improving our moderation processes," he said.

The court also accuses him of not having responded to government requests for information from certain users.

But according to Durov, Telegram has provided "identifying information (...) relating to more than 10,000 users" in the first six months of 2024.

"It's not much" compared to its 950 million users, responded an investigating judge.

What is the founder of Telegram accused of?

Durov is suspected of failing to take action to prevent the use of the Telegram platform for criminal purposes.

In August 2024, Pavel Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of an investigation into Telegram's lack of moderators.

Authorities believed these conditions allowed criminal activity to continue unhindered on the messaging app.

France's agency for the prevention of violence against minors (OFMIN) had issued an arrest warrant against Durov as part of a preliminary investigation into several crimes, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promoting terrorism, said one of the sources linked to the case.

Durov was released on bail of 5 million euros ($5.5 million) on condition that he not leave France and report to a police station twice a week.