It’s been a year since the arrest of Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov, who sparked anger from free activists to speaking and concern for the future of platform moderation.
On August 24, 2024, Durov was arrested at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France as part of an investigation by the French National Judicial Police. The 12 charges were later filed against him claiming he was complicated by serious crimes that users committed on his platform.
Durov expressed confusion and frustration about the case in recent interviews. Free speech has seriously criticized the arrest, stating that it has serious implications for free speech development and platform.
Now, a year later, there is little development in the case, and the new challenges in user privacy on messaging platforms are rising.
One year after arresting Durov, no test set
Durov was arrested last year after the L’Apisine mines of France (OFMIN) – the criminal implementation agency that oversees crimes against minors – has released a warrant in a preliminary Telegram investigation.
Investigators claimed that Telegram is not moderate contentAnd therefore, Durov is complete with an out -of -the -way offense derived from fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying and organized crime.
In a statement, Telegram claimed that it was complied with by the laws of the EU, including the Digital Services Act and that its moderation was within the standards of the industry.
Ton Society, an organization behind the formation of open network based on the former Telegram blockchain project, Called the arrest “A direct attack on a basic human right.” Known whistleblower Edward Snowden accused French president Emmanuel Macron of “getting hostages for accessing private communications.”
Not Durov Divide his silence until September 2024When he said in a statement on Telegram that the company was “ready to leave markets that were not compatible with our principles.” He also admitted that he was surprised at the arrest, given that the Telegram has been reported that there are many mechanisms in which it cooperates with the authorities.
Related: Free Speech and Online Privacy: Pavel Durov’s rise to the top
Durov said the arrest Had a personal toll Also, saying that his partner Juli Vavilova, has had a miscarriage due to stress from the investigation.
He won’t Make his first look in court To December and, a few months later, won limited freedom To travel to the United Arab Emirates to conduct business while the case against him in France continues.
In a June interview with Tucker Carlson, Durov Clarified that he is not currently standing to the test But instead it was obligatory to appear before the so -called “investigative judge” that the job was to “find out if there was enough evidence to put me in the trial.”
He called the current requirement that he stay in France “very different and unnecessary,” given the procedure, he should only appear in court every few months. He said he hoped the situation could be resolved, or that he could somehow raise travel restrictions, for the next few months.
Until August 24, the investigation continued.
Governments have been lying on messengers around the world
Durov’s case arrives as regulators around the world are aimed at being in the contestable messaging services.
Denmark, which is currently holding the presidency of the European Council, has Pass a bill That will require the enemypted messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, to scan every message, photo and video sent by users.
The bill, called “regulation to prevent and combat sexual abuse of the child,” or “chat control” by critics, has been reported secure The support of 19 in 27 member states. To pass, it must have support from at least 15 countries, and those countries must contain at least 65% of the EU population.
The European Crypto initiative asked citizens to call their European Parliament members and said it would directly engage with regulators in a stakeholder session in September.
Durov Says That he would rather go out of the telegram in some markets than to comply with regulations that violate the company’s ethical principles regarding privacy.
“The Telegram would rather go out in a market than to avoid rearption and violation of basic human rights. Unlike some of our competitors, we have not exchanged privacy for market sharing,” he said.
In Russia’s own country of Durov, the government has Basag In the messengers, WhatsApp and Telegram are prohibited, allegedly used for fraud and terrorism. It also banned Facebook, Instagram and X.
In its area, the government developed the Messaging App Max, along with VK, a social media platform itself developed by Durov. Durov left VK in 2014 after refusing to provide user data to protesters in Ukrainian showing against pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.
Max, who has been reported integration Government services and peer-to-peer payments directly to the app, have been accused of storing user data, including contact lists, metadata, IP address and timestamp, and will make that data available to authorities. The phones sold in Russia will come with the app installed starting September 1.
The whole world, the enemypted messengers are under pressure increase to compromise privacy. Whether it is in an increasingly authority country or under the very contemptible remembrance of child safety, user privacy, which is sometimes removed, is not easy to win. Durov’s case, as it continues at a glacial speed, will undoubtedly have implications for how to control messengers and allow to develop.
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