"Nothing To Hide": Telegram Responds To CEO Pavel Durov's Arrest

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France on Saturday. Responding to the arrest, the messaging platform said that Pavel Durov has "nothing to hide." Reports indicate that the Russian-born founder of Telegram was arrested under a warrant of offences related to the app. 

According to a BBC report, the investigation is targeted on the insufficient moderation, with Pavel Durov accused of failing to take measures to restrain criminal uses of the platform. Meanwhile, Telegram said in a post on X that its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving and added that Pavel Durov travels in Europe frequently. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," said Telegram in the post on August 26. 

At the same time, French judicial authorities have reportedly extended the detention of Pavel Durov. The Guardian, citing sources, reported that Durov's detention may last up to a maximum of 96 hours. Telegram, one of the major social media platforms, was founded in 2013. Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups on the VK social network that he founded when he was 22. Notably, Russia banned Telegram in 2018, and the decision was reversed in 2021. 

At the same time, Western governments have often criticized Telegram for a lack of content moderating on the messaging service. Critics reportedly argue that the Telegram, where users can join groups of up to 200,000 people, makes it easier for misinformation to spread.