Telegram says it “complies with EU laws”
The messaging platform Telegram has assured through a statement that “it complies with EU laws”, after its co-founder, Pavel Durov, was arrested this Saturday by the French police for allowing criminal activities on the application.
,Telegram complies with EU lawsIncluding the Digital Services Act. Their moderation is in line with industry standards and is constantly improving. Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently to Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform,” the note released by the application said.
His detention could last up to four days
According to a police spokesperson, the businessman of Franco-Russian nationality has been detained by French cybercrime and anti-fraud authorities. The same sources reveal that he is accused of not cooperating in cyber and financial crimes committed on Telegram.
This Monday, the investigating judge extended his custody and it could happen lengthen over the next four days, According to the local French press.
Sources close to the investigation confirmed to Reuters that the Cybersecurity Gendarmerie Unit and the National Anti-Fraud Police Unit are leading the probe. Durov was subject to a French arrest warrant issued by the National Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ Juvenile Office (OFMIN) based on a preliminary investigation.
Complicit in fraud, drug trafficking, or pedophilia
The billionaire of Emirati nationality was detained by the Air Transport Gendarmerie after landing at Le Bourget airport in Paris on Saturday while flying from Azerbaijan. The French judge considers that the telegram is a Potential accomplices to commit fraud crimesagainst minors, drug trafficking, fraud and cryptography, among others, the tools it provides, as well as Lack of restraint in its use and this Little cooperation with authorities,
Telegram, the social network used by ultra groups to spread their messages due to the lack of monitoring
The 39-year-old businessman, who was also the founder of Russian social media platform VKontakte, was removed from his position as general director of the latter social network after he refused to cooperate with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Requested information on anti-Kremlin groups,
Telegram reminded in a statement that “nearly one billion users around the world use the messaging platform as a means of communication and a source of important information. We look forward to a quick resolution of this situation.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office has declined to comment to EFE agency, as it is “a procedure followed in the investigation” and French authorities have not yet confirmed Durov’s arrest.
Telegram, based in Dubai, is an instant messaging application for electronic devices launched in 2013 by Durov and his brother Nikolai as an alternative to the WhatsApp application.
Brussels has distanced itself from the arrests
The European Commission has distanced itself from the businessman’s arrest because it is a “criminal investigation that has nothing to do with the Digital Services Law”, the European rules to regulate large platforms. This was reported this Monday in statements to the media by Thomas Regnier, spokesman for the Community Executive on the Internal Market.
A Commission spokesperson has assured that the Telegram application does not have to comply with the strict standards of the digital services law because it has informed Brussels that it has 41 million monthly users, well below the 45 million set by the rules for large companies.
The French President has expressed himself along the same lines, Emmanuel Macronwhich indicated that Dureve had been arrested “As part of a judicial investigation, without any political motive”,
However, and in addition to Durov’s arrest in France, Telegram must comply with the general obligations that the Digital Services Law establishes for any Internet intermediarySuch as social networks or online marketplaces.
Thus, it must have a system for authorities or users to be informed of the existence of illegal content, but it is not required to make annual reports before any warnings about the risks that the platform poses to society are raised, nor undergo external audits of the public powers or civil society.
Cryptocurrencies linked to Telegram decline
As a result of Durov’s arrest, the price of Toncoin, the cryptocurrency of The Open Network linked to Telegram and the tenth largest in the market, fell by 21% this Sunday.
This Monday, despite the fact that the token stabilized above $5.60 in the first hours of trading, the value of the crypto asset is approximately 16% lower than the price level after the arrest of the Franco-Russian businessman.
Thus, since the news of his arrest, Toncoin’s capitalization has fallen by approximately 2,680 million euros, currently standing at around 12,744 million euros, while last Saturday it was more than 17,200 million.
OpenStreetMuseum has expressed its support for Pavel Durov through its profile on the social network X and updated the Tonkoin logo and profile photo with his image.