PARIS (AP) — Telegram laminitis and CEO Pavel Durov promised to measurement up efforts to conflict criminality connected nan messaging app, his first nationalist comments since French authorities handed him preliminary charges for allegedly allowing nan platform’s usage for criminal activity.
In a Telegram station precocious Thursday, Durov defended himself against nan French judicial investigation, suggesting that he shouldn’t person been targeted personally.
“Using laws from nan pre-smartphone era to complaint a CEO pinch crimes committed by 3rd parties connected nan level he manages is simply a misguided approach,” nan station said. “Building exertion is difficult capable arsenic it is. No innovator will ever build caller devices if they cognize they tin beryllium personally held responsible for imaginable maltreatment of those tools.”

via Associated Press
While insisting that Telegram is not “some benignant of anarchic paradise,” Durov said surging numbers of Telegram users “caused increasing pains that made it easier for criminals to maltreatment our platform.”
“That’s why I made it my individual extremity to guarantee we importantly amended things successful this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will stock much specifications connected our advancement pinch you very soon,” he said.
French investigators detained Durov astatine Le Bourget airdrome extracurricular Paris successful precocious August and questioned him for 4 days arsenic portion of a sweeping probe opened earlier this year.
Released connected 5 cardinal euros bail, Durov has to study to a constabulary position doubly a week. Russia-born, he has amassed aggregate citizenships, including French.
French allegations against Durov see that Telegram is utilized for kid intersexual maltreatment worldly and supplier trafficking, and that nan level refused to stock accusation aliases documents pinch investigators erstwhile required by law.
In his post, Durov said that while successful constabulary detention, “I was told I whitethorn beryllium personally responsible for different people’s forbidden usage of Telegram, because nan French authorities didn’t person responses from Telegram.”
“This was astonishing for respective reasons,” he added.
He said Telegram has an charismatic typical successful nan European Union who replies to EU requests, pinch a nationalist email address.
Telegram’s website informs users that they tin interaction nan app done a bot and includes a nexus to study forbidden content. It besides includes an email reside and telephone number for “competent authorities of nan EU and EU members” to use. “If you are not a competent EU aliases EU personnel authority, your petition will not beryllium processed,” it says.
In his post, Durov said “French authorities had galore ways to scope maine to petition assistance.” He said he besides had antecedently worked pinch them to “establish a hotline pinch Telegram to woody pinch nan threat of coercion successful France.”
“If a state is unhappy pinch an net service, nan established believe is to commencement a ineligible action against nan work itself,” he said.
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