Telegram founder Pavel Durov told investigating judges in December that he “became aware in police custody of the seriousness of all the facts” reproached to its platform, according to its statements of which Agence France-Presse (AFP) learned on Saturday January 18 from a source close to the matter. He “did not create” Telegram in 2013 with his brother “for criminals” but their presence, “a tiny fraction”, “has also increased”conceded this man born in Saint Petersburg who has several nationalities including that of France.
The judges detailed around fifteen groups dedicated to child crime, narcotics, scams, arms sales, the use of thugs, sometimes having a presence on the platform, which earned the CEO of Telegram his dismissal. examination at the end of August for complicity in criminal activity.
“Are you aware that the ease of use of Telegram allows anyone to access illicit platforms, in a much simpler way than on the dark web? »they asked him. Mr. Durov said to himself “disagree”. Telegram is ” effective “ and deletes monthly “15 to 20 million user accounts and one to two million channels and groups”he replied.
The billionaire questioned the lack of feedback from justice or associations, but nevertheless repeated it: he is, “personally, disgusted” by these offenses, “bad for society and business”.
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“Progress” in moderation
Although the Dubai-based company announced its first annual net profit at the end of December, it suffers, according to Pavel Durov, from $2 billion in debt. “We are committed to improving our moderation processes”he therefore declared, echoing public promises made in September, welcomed by Emmanuel Macron, adding that his “teams have made a lot of progress”.
In France, Telegram claims to have responded to 4 legal requests in the first quarter of 2024, compared to 673 for the last. Over the first six months of 2024, globally, Telegram delivered “identifying information (…) concerning more than 10,000 users »assured Mr. Durov. “It’s not much to look at” of your claimed 950 million users, replied an investigating magistrate. When asked, David-Olivier Kaminski, lawyer for Mr. Durov, did not respond.
Telegram responded to AFP that messaging “has been cooperating with legal authorities around the world since 2018, providing information on criminals when requested by valid requests and through the correct communication channels”.
