Pavel Durov arrest in Paris sparks global outcry, Telegram says he has ‘nothing to hide’

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was recently arrested in Paris following an international arrest warrant issued by French authorities.

The arrest stems from concerns over Telegram’s alleged lack of moderation, particularly in light of EU regulations such as the Digital Services Act. In response, Telegram issued a statement stating that the executive has nothing to hide.

Tech leaders condemn arrest

On August 26, Telegram’s official address took X to tweet that the platform fully complies with EU laws and maintains moderation practices that align with industry standards. The company emphasized Durov’s frequent trips to Europe and rejected the idea that a platform or its owner should be held responsible for users’ misuse.

“Nearly a billion users around the world use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of vital information. We look forward to a speedy resolution to this situation. Telegram is with you all.”

The arrest of the 39-year-old billionaire has ignited a heated debate online, with the hashtags #FreeDurov and #FreePavel. Former US NSA intelligence contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden condemned the arrest, saying the move was an assault on basic human rights of speech and association. SpaceX founder Elon Musk also echoed a similar sentiment when he criticized the arrest of the Russian-born tech leader.

In a follow-up post on X, Musk criticized Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, asking why he hasn’t faced similar legal issues to Durov’s. Musk suggested that Zuckerberg could have avoided arrest by complying with censorship demands, arguing that Instagram has a major child exploitation problem that is not being addressed.

X’s CEO further accused Zuckerberg of censoring free speech and providing governments with access to user data.

No end-to-end encryption by default

Samson Mow, CEO of hyperbitcoinization company Jan3, expressed support for Durov’s launch, but also criticized Telegram’s operational strategy.

Mow pointed out the risks of running a platform like Telegram without default end-to-end encryption, suggesting that this approach made the platform vulnerable to pressure from regulators.

He drew a parallel between Telegram and Nostr, a decentralized social network, highlighting what he sees as a critical flaw in the latter’s reliance on relays. According to Mow, ignoring this architectural problem could lead to the downfall of Nostr.

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