He Promised To “Correct”: Durov Gave 10-Hour Testimony To A French Court.
The Platform Blocks Up To 20 Million Accounts Worldwide Every Month.
Pavel Durov appeared before a French court on December 6, where he testified to two investigating judges for ten hours, France Info writes. During the hearing, the creator of the messenger said: “Telegram was not created as a platform for criminals.”
French justice suspects the founder of the messenger of complicity in committing several crimes and offenses. At the end of August, the billionaire was charged on 16 different counts. At the same time, Durov assured that users who violate the law “harm the business and reputation of Telegram.”
Responding to questions from judges about illegal content, including drug channels, stolen banking data, offers of contract killers and the distribution of prohibited materials, the Telegram founder, accompanied by three lawyers, promised to “improve moderation procedures.” The platform blocks 15 to 20 million accounts worldwide every month for violating rules, he said, noting that other social networks face similar problems.
Regarding prohibited content, Durov stated that he takes this problem seriously: “We delete them on the same day.” He also told the judges that he had collaborated with several anti-child exploitation organizations. The judges noted that these initiatives were launched after the arrest of the billionaire. “I learned about the seriousness of all these facts during my detention,” Durov admitted.
Over the past six months, Telegram has handed over the data of 10,000 users around the world to law enforcement agencies. Between the end of August and the end of September, after the arrest of the founder, the messenger responded to all requests from the French Office for Minors (Ofmin) – about a hundred requests. This is only a small part of the numerous requests that the French authorities sent every year and to which Telegram had not previously responded.
Despite the announced blocking of accounts, criminal activity on Telegram continues to grow. In the first five months of 2024, the gendarmerie opened 535 cases, while in the whole of 2023 there were 808. From 2017 to 2024, law enforcement officers recorded 2,000 offenses committed through the messenger.
The Pharos platform recorded 2,700 violations in 2023 alone. Major categories include drug trafficking, distribution of prohibited materials, fraud, terrorism and arms trafficking.
After the charges were filed, Durov was placed under judicial control with a bail of 5 million euros. The businessman, who lives primarily in Dubai, is now required to remain in France and report to the police twice a week.