Telegram CEO was 'too free' on content moderation, says Russian minister

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who was cuffed and charged by the French police last week, was "too free" in his approach to managing the global messaging platform, according to Russia's foreign minister.

Sergey Lavrov said Durov's decision not to listen to Western nations' advice on how to moderate content on the platform might be the source of his troubles.

French police brought charges against Durov, who co-founded the encrypted messaging platform Telegram, on August 30. This followed his arrest on August 24 at Le Bourget airport.

He has since been released on €5 million bail, is not allowed to leave France, and must report to the police twice a week.

In a speech to students at Moscow's foreign ministry-run MGIMO University earlier today, Lavrov said: "Pavel Durov was too free. He didn't listen to Western advice on moderating his brainchild."

The speech was part of a groundswell of support for the tech entrepreneur in Russia, despite the Kremlin putting pressure on the founder and his tech enterprise for years.

Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "The main thing is that what is happening in France does not turn into political persecution. We know that the president of France has denied any connection (of the case) with politics, but on the other hand, certain accusations are being made."

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French president Emmanuel Macron used his X account to deny that the arrest and charges brought against Durov were an attack on free speech.

"France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so," he said on the platform once called Twitter.

"In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law... The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter."

Durov was apprehended following an investigation into Telegram allegedly being used to facilitate drug trafficking, cyber-bullying, organized crime, distribution of child sexual abuse material, and failing to cooperate with French police.

On August 25, Telegram took to X to respond. "Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving… It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," it said. ®