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Telegram CEO Durov Defends Platform After Arrest and Criminal Charges

Telegram CEO Durov Defends Platform After Arrest and Criminal Charges

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has spoken out for the first time since his arrest in France, asserting that the charges against him are unjust. Durov was arrested almost two weeks ago and charged with enabling various criminal activities on Telegram, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material. These charges come following an investigation into illegal activities conducted on the platform by third-party users.

In a 600-word statement posted on his Telegram account, Durov argued that prosecuting the CEO of an internet service based on the actions of users is a "misguided approach." He noted, "If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself."

Balancing Privacy and Security

Durov acknowledged the difficulty in balancing privacy with security, emphasizing that Telegram remains committed to protecting users, particularly in authoritarian regimes. He also mentioned that the platform is prepared to exit markets where its mission of user protection is incompatible with local laws.

Durov blamed "growing pains" for making Telegram more susceptible to criminal exploitation, as the platform recently crossed 950 million monthly active users. He promised to address these vulnerabilities, stating, "That's why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We've already started that process internally, and I will share more details on our progress with you very soon."

Policy Changes and User Reporting

Telegram has since updated its FAQ, introducing a new feature that allows users to report illegal content in private and group chats via a dedicated "Report" button. This represents a major policy shift, as reporting in these settings was previously not permitted.

Despite these updates, Durov did not address concerns about the lack of default end-to-end encryption (E2EE) on the platform, which must be manually enabled for one-on-one chats. This has been a long-standing critique from security experts.

Expert Criticism on Encryption

Moxie Marlinspike, the creator of the E2EE messaging app Signal, criticized Telegram’s cloud-based messaging system. He highlighted the risk this poses, saying, "With one query, the Russian Telegram team can get every message the French president has ever sent or received to his contacts, and every message those contacts have ever sent or received, etc."

Matthew Green, a security researcher and associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, added that enabling E2EE on Telegram requires several clicks, making it challenging for non-expert users. "The feature is explicitly not turned on for the vast majority of conversations, and is only available for one-on-one conversations, and never for group chats with more than two people," Green noted.

As Telegram continues to navigate these challenges, Durov’s statements suggest that more security enhancements may be on the horizon. However, whether these changes will sufficiently address the platform's privacy concerns remains to be seen.

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