The founder of Telegram Pavel Durov told the investigating magistrates in France, where he has been charged with many violations of the law related to the approval of organized crime, that he “realized the seriousness of all the allegations”, according to a source close to the case.
Excerpts from Durov’s December interrogation through an interpreter after his arrest in August, seen by AFP, show that he initially blamed French authorities for failing to alert Telegram to the alleged crime.
“My location and my personal phone account were known to French authorities” including “the presidency and the French embassy in Dubai”, said Durov, referring to “an agent with the DGSI”, France’s domestic intelligence service.
He said the agent said Paris was satisfied with Telegram’s cooperation, but other investigative services used “wrong email addresses” to report suspected crimes on the platform.
The 40-year-old man added that he has done everything in his power to take appropriate measures to deal with such reports.
On December 6, during an intensive interrogation, Durov however admitted that “it was when I was arrested that I realized the seriousness of all the allegations”.
– Not made for ‘criminals’ –
The messaging service Durov founded with his brother in 2013 was “not designed to be a platform for criminals”, he said.
“Its growing popularity, the increase in the number of our users, means that the number of people using Telegram for criminal purposes is increasing,” added the Saint Petersburg-born billionaire.
Durov has multiple passports, including a French one, although he does not speak the language, saying he was granted citizenship by President Emmanuel Macron.
When the judges asked whether Telegram checked the identity of users or documents, Durov answered: “No”.
“I think that’s the case with all messaging services,” he added.
Durov also said that the encryption of certain Telegram messages was “standard in the industry” – adding that it was intended to prevent Telegram itself from accessing users’ messages and to prevent data leaks.
Investigators confronted Durov while he was incarcerated on more than a dozen charges, ranging from child abuse to drug trafficking, racketeering, arms sales and recruiting criminals.
It is these crimes, in some cases organized, that are the root of the crimes involving the stadium manager.
Durov said he “disagrees” with the judge’s claim that Telegram’s ease of use has made it more useful to organized criminals than alternatives such as the dark web.
– ‘Active’ measures –
Its “successful” anti-piracy measures have helped remove 15 to 20 million user accounts and up to two million channels or groups from the service each month, he said.
Instead, Durov also blamed law enforcement authorities or organizations for failing to properly report criminal activities.
One such organization, the American National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), told investigators it made 400 reports on Telegram in 2023 alone.
Durov acknowledged the contacts, saying that Telegram has made deals with the American and British equivalent groups.
Citing direct reports and media reports about the abuse of the stage, the investigators asked why Durov did not intervene before he was actually arrested.
He replied that “there is nothing solid” in the press.
Magistrates particularly pressed Durov on Telegram’s “People Nearby” feature, which remained inactive following his arrest.
People have been accused of using it to provide illegal services using geolocation, such as providing drugs or prostitution.
“In many countries, this work is used for good purposes, not illegal,” said Durov.
Another magistrate replied: “France may differ in terms of gastronomy, but certainly not in matters of crime.”
Dubai-based Telegram announced its first annual profit in December.
But Durov told investigators it was operating under $2 billion in debt.
Still, “we are committed to improving our moderation processes,” he vowed, echoing a promise he made publicly in September to work more closely with authorities.
The data provided by Telegram suggests that it has provided the largest amount of user data to national authorities in the third and fourth quarter of 2024 – covering the time and immediate consequences of Durov’s arrest.
“My teams have made great progress,” providing identifying information about “more than 10,000 users” in the first six months of last year, Durov said. The platform claims to have 950 million registered accounts.
Durov will also cross-examine magistrates investigating his claims about how content moderation and removal works on Telegram.
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