PARIS — Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov released his first statement on Thursday since his arrest last month in France, criticizing the actions of French authorities and calling the charges against him "surprising" and misguided.

Durov was detained and questioned by police for four days in Paris, where he was told he could be held personally responsible for illegal activities conducted by third parties on Telegram.

He argued that the authorities' approach was outdated, saying, "Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to charge a CEO with crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach."

Durov emphasized that Telegram has an official EU representative to handle law enforcement requests, and their contact information is readily available online.

He expressed his disbelief over the arrest, stating, "I was surprised by the decision to detain me, especially since I have always been accessible and even assisted in establishing a hotline with Telegram to combat terrorism in France."

The Telegram CEO argued that if a country is dissatisfied with an internet service, legal actions should be directed at the service itself, not the individual at the helm.

He stressed that holding CEOs accountable for third-party abuses could stifle innovation, as it would deter tech developers from creating new tools.

Durov highlighted the ongoing struggle to balance privacy and security on digital platforms and noted that Telegram actively engages with regulators to find the right equilibrium.

He pointed out that Telegram has taken strong stances in defense of user privacy, such as refusing to provide encryption keys to Russian authorities and declining to block protest channels in Iran, actions that led to the app being banned in both countries.

Durov acknowledged the need to enhance communication with authorities but criticized the confusion over where requests should be sent, as evidenced by his recent arrest.

He dispelled rumors that Telegram operates as an "anarchic paradise," stating, "We take down millions of harmful posts and channels daily, publish transparency reports, and have established hotlines with NGOs to expedite urgent moderation requests."

Addressing the recent surge in Telegram’s user base, Durov explained that efforts are underway to prevent criminal misuse of the platform.

"We’ve already started this process internally, and I will share more details on our progress soon," he said, expressing hope that the challenges faced in August would ultimately strengthen Telegram and the broader social networking industry.

Durov concluded by thanking users for their continued support and reaffirmed his commitment to improving the platform’s safety and compliance measures. — Agencies