Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has vowed to strengthen efforts against criminal activity on the messaging app following preliminary charges from French authorities. This marks his first public response since the legal allegations emerged, which accuse him of facilitating criminal use of the platform.
In a recent Telegram post, Durov defended himself against the charges, arguing that targeting him personally is unjust. He criticised the application of outdated laws to modern digital platforms, stating, “Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach.” Durov emphasised that such legal actions could stifle innovation by discouraging developers from creating new tools for fear of personal liability.
Addressing the issue of criminal misuse, Durov acknowledged that the rapid growth of Telegram’s user base has led to challenges in managing the platform’s safety. He reassured users that Telegram is actively working to enhance its security measures. “Surging numbers of Telegram users have caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform,” Durov noted. “That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon.”
