Durov claims France ruined its reputation as free nation

(MENAFN) Telegram founder Pavel Durov has accused France of destroying its reputation as a free country after his brief detention in Paris last year.

The tech entrepreneur was arrested at a Paris airport in August 2024 on charges that his platform was being misused for illegal activities, including extremism and child abuse. He was later freed on €5 million ($5.86 million) bail and permitted to return to Dubai, where he resides.

In a Telegram post on Sunday, Durov described the detention as “unprecedented” and “illogical,” emphasizing that the investigation uncovered no wrongdoing. He argued that Telegram’s content moderation policies meet industry standards and that the company has complied with all binding legal requests from French authorities.

Durov also criticized French investigators for bypassing EU-mandated legal procedures when contacting Telegram — an error he said could have been avoided “by simply googling the process or asking.”

According to Durov, the only result of his arrest has been “serious harm to France’s reputation as a free country.” He added that he must still report to Paris every two weeks, with no appeal date yet scheduled.

Since then, Telegram has revised its privacy policy to permit storing metadata — such as IP addresses, device details, and username history — for up to a year, with the option of sharing it with “relevant judicial authorities.”

Last month, Durov accused France of conducting a “crusade” against free speech, claiming that intelligence officials pressured him to censor conservative content during Romania’s 2024 presidential race. France’s DGSE intelligence agency rejected the accusation, saying it had only reminded him of Telegram’s responsibility to moderate content, while denying any interference in elections.

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