Telegram's Durov Pledges to French Court
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has committed in a French court to improving moderation on his platform in order to address illicit content. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
French authorities have charged tech mogul Pavel Durov with several offenses connected to crimes conducted through his platform.
Durov, the founder of Telegram and a Russian national with citizenship in France, the UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, appeared before a French court on Friday. This follows his arrest in Paris in August 2024. He faces over a dozen charges, including complicity in the distribution of child pornography and facilitating drug trafficking.
After being granted €5 million bail, Durov is restricted from leaving France and is obligated to report to local police twice a week.
During the court proceedings, Durov stated that Telegram is dedicated to “improving its moderation procedures.” He indicated that the platform deletes “between 15 and 20 million user accounts for breaking the law” every month and emphasized that Telegram is not the only platform confronting these difficulties.
He further mentioned that any accounts involved in distributing child pornography are removed “the same day,” and highlighted Telegram's collaborations with various organizations that combat child exploitation.
In response to judges remarking that many moderation initiatives were implemented after his arrest in August, Durov stated he was only then made “aware of the seriousness of all these facts.”
Durov also conveyed that Telegram has enhanced its cooperation with authorities worldwide to address illegal activities. Over the past six months, the platform has shared user data from about 10,000 accounts with law enforcement agencies across the globe.
As of September 2024, Telegram modified its privacy policy to allow for the collection of metadata—including IP addresses, device information, and username changes—for up to one year. This data may be shared with “relevant judicial authorities” if a user is suspected of engaging in illegal activities.
Durov's legal team has characterized the charges against him as unfounded, contending that it is unreasonable to hold him liable for crimes carried out through the platform.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also criticized the charges, labeling them absurd. He noted that, by the same reasoning, authorities in Paris could detain the CEOs of Renault or Citroën due to the use of their vehicles by terrorists.
Last year, many Telegram channels belonging to major Russian news outlets became inaccessible across the EU. Durov remarked that the bloc enforces more censorship and media restrictions than Russia does, adding that “Who would have thought that in 2025 Russian Telegram users would enjoy more freedom than Europeans?” in a New Year’s message.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
Durov, the founder of Telegram and a Russian national with citizenship in France, the UAE, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, appeared before a French court on Friday. This follows his arrest in Paris in August 2024. He faces over a dozen charges, including complicity in the distribution of child pornography and facilitating drug trafficking.
After being granted €5 million bail, Durov is restricted from leaving France and is obligated to report to local police twice a week.
During the court proceedings, Durov stated that Telegram is dedicated to “improving its moderation procedures.” He indicated that the platform deletes “between 15 and 20 million user accounts for breaking the law” every month and emphasized that Telegram is not the only platform confronting these difficulties.
He further mentioned that any accounts involved in distributing child pornography are removed “the same day,” and highlighted Telegram's collaborations with various organizations that combat child exploitation.
In response to judges remarking that many moderation initiatives were implemented after his arrest in August, Durov stated he was only then made “aware of the seriousness of all these facts.”
Durov also conveyed that Telegram has enhanced its cooperation with authorities worldwide to address illegal activities. Over the past six months, the platform has shared user data from about 10,000 accounts with law enforcement agencies across the globe.
As of September 2024, Telegram modified its privacy policy to allow for the collection of metadata—including IP addresses, device information, and username changes—for up to one year. This data may be shared with “relevant judicial authorities” if a user is suspected of engaging in illegal activities.
Durov's legal team has characterized the charges against him as unfounded, contending that it is unreasonable to hold him liable for crimes carried out through the platform.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also criticized the charges, labeling them absurd. He noted that, by the same reasoning, authorities in Paris could detain the CEOs of Renault or Citroën due to the use of their vehicles by terrorists.
Last year, many Telegram channels belonging to major Russian news outlets became inaccessible across the EU. Durov remarked that the bloc enforces more censorship and media restrictions than Russia does, adding that “Who would have thought that in 2025 Russian Telegram users would enjoy more freedom than Europeans?” in a New Year’s message.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
