Telegram Points To Policy Shift After Pavel Durov Arrested in France

Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, announced that the messaging app would strengthen its moderation policies and remove certain features previously exploited for illegal activities.

The changes were revealed on Friday, just hours after Durov criticized his recent arrest by French authorities as “misguided.” He now faces charges for allegedly permitting criminal activity on the platform.

In a post on X, Durov emphasized that Telegram is “committed to turning moderation from a point of criticism into one of praise.”

Among the updates, Durov said the platform would remove its “people nearby” feature due to misuse by bots and scammers, replacing it with “businesses nearby,” which will showcase legitimate businesses.

Additionally, the app’s blogging tool, Telegraph, will no longer allow media uploads, as it had been “misused by anonymous actors.”

Telegram has also removed references on its FAQ page regarding private chats being protected from moderation.

A Telegram spokesperson clarified that while the app’s source code hasn’t changed, users now have the option to report new chats for moderation.

Durov expressed his disappointment that a small fraction of Telegram’s nearly 1 billion users were responsible for tarnishing the app’s reputation.

“While 99.999% of Telegram users have no involvement in crime, the 0.001% engaging in illicit activities damage the platform’s image, jeopardizing the interests of our almost billion-strong user base,” he said.

Durov also revealed that Telegram has reached 10 million paid subscribers.

This announcement followed Durov’s first public comments since his detention in France in August. In a Telegram post, he described his arrest as “misguided” and refuted claims that Telegram was an “anarchic paradise.”

Durov’s detention in France came as part of an investigation into crimes connected to child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions involving the app.

The 39-year-old, who holds Russian and French citizenship, was arrested in August but avoided jail by posting €5 million in bail.

He was released under the condition that he report to a police station twice weekly and remain in France.

Durov stated that the French authorities had access to a hotline he helped establish and could have contacted Telegram’s EU representative at any time.

“If a country is dissatisfied with an internet service, the standard procedure is to pursue legal action against the service itself,” he wrote.

He added that applying outdated laws to charge a CEO for crimes committed by third parties on the platform is a “misguided approach.”

Durov also denied the media’s portrayal of Telegram as a lawless platform, asserting that “millions of harmful posts and channels” are removed every day.

Following his arrest, Moscow officials confirmed that Durov had declined offers of diplomatic assistance from Russia.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, said Russian diplomats in Paris had taken all “necessary actions” regarding Durov’s detention, but he chose not to accept their help.

“For any inquiries regarding Durov’s decisions on which side he prioritizes, please contact his lawyers,” Zakharova told the RTVI outlet.

Durov, who is worth an estimated $9 billion, also holds Emirati and Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship.

The arrest has further strained relations between Russia and France, with some Russian lawmakers accusing Paris of trying to pressure Durov into surrendering Telegram’s encryption keys to Western intelligence agencies.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed surprise at France’s actions, calling them “selective.” He also noted that he had met Durov only once, years ago, and that they had not maintained contact.