Telegram founder Pavel Durov has accused France of tarnishing its image as a free country after his high-profile arrest in Paris last year, calling the case against him “legally and logically absurd.”
The Russian-born tech entrepreneur was detained at a Paris airport in August 2024 on charges of enabling criminals to use Telegram for activities including extremism and child exploitation. He was later released on €5 million ($5.86 million) bail and permitted to return to Dubai, where he lives.
In a post published on his platform Sunday, Durov described his detention as “unprecedented” and without basis. He said French authorities had so far failed to produce any evidence of wrongdoing, adding that Telegram’s moderation practices align with industry standards and that the company has complied with all legally binding requests.
Durov also accused French investigators of mishandling legal procedures, claiming they bypassed EU-mandated channels when submitting queries to the platform. “This mistake could have been avoided simply by googling the process or asking,” he wrote.
“Sadly, the only outcome of my arrest so far has been massive damage to France’s image as a free country,” Durov said, noting that he is still required to return to Paris every two weeks, with no appeal hearing scheduled.
Privacy and free speech disputes
The controversy comes as Telegram updates its privacy policy, now allowing the platform to store metadata such as IP addresses, device details, and username changes for up to a year. The company says such data may be shared with “relevant judicial authorities” when necessary.
Durov has previously accused French officials of exerting political pressure on the platform. Last month, he alleged that France’s foreign intelligence agency, the DGSE, had pushed him to censor conservative voices during Romania’s 2024 presidential election — a claim the agency denied, saying it had only reminded Telegram of its responsibility to moderate harmful content.
The case highlights mounting tensions between European governments and major tech platforms over encryption, privacy, and content regulation, with Telegram — used by more than 900 million people worldwide — often at the center of the debate.
