Telegram chief Durov denounces French charges as ‘surprising’ and ‘misguided’

NEWS WIRES

5 September 2024 at 6:48 pm·1-min read

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov criticised France for his recent arrest over extremist content on the messaging platform. In his first public comment on Telegram, Durov called it "surprising" he was arrested for third-party actions, condemning the use of outdated laws to charge platform executives for user-generated content.

Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov on Thursday hit out at France for arresting and charging him last month over the publication of extremist and illegal content on the popular messaging app.

In a lengthy post on Telegram, his first comment since his arrest, Durov said it was "surprising" he was being held responsible for other people's content.

"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," he said.

He also lashed out at claims that "Telegram is some sort of anarchic paradise" as "absolutely untrue", insisting: "We take down millions of harmful posts and channels every day."

He denied accusations from France that Paris had not received responses from Telegram to its requests, saying he had personally helped French authorities "establish a hotline with Telegram to deal with the threat of terrorism in France".

'Growing pains'

(AFP)

Malay Mail
PAS deputy president’s claim of suspicion upon hearing Chinese words dangerous, DAP MP says
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s assertion that Malays would feel suspici...
The Telegraph
Watch: Woman arrested for eating a cat amid Springfield pet controversy
Police have released video footage of an American woman being arrested for eating a cat – 170 miles away from Springfield, Ohio where Donald Trump claimed Haitian immigrants were devouring pets.
Malay Mail
Children’s Commissioner condemns horrific abuse allegations in GISB care homes
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — Children’s Commissioner, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), Farah Nini Dusuki, has c...
CNN
Same-sex marriage was on a roll in Asia. Not anymore
Rainbow flags rippled in the wind as gay and lesbian couples walked down a makeshift aisle in Bangkok’s busy Siam shopping district, holding hands.
The Guardian
Broome man who detained three Aboriginal children with cable ties told police he wanted ‘consequences’ for their trespassing
Matej Radelic – who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault – claimed minors were ‘trashing’ his pool in recording tendered in court
The Telegraph
Seven men jailed for sex abuse of girls in Rotherham
Seven men were jailed for sexually abusing two girls in Rotherham in the latest convictions under the UK’s biggest-ever law enforcement operation against child sex abuse.
CNN
Pope Francis criticizes Trump and Harris and says voters must choose between ‘lesser of two evils’
Pope Francis on Friday described the choice US voters must make in the presidential election as one between the “lesser of two evils,” deeming former President Donald Trump’s anti-migrant policies and Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of abortion rights as both being “against life.”
The Independent
Father makes desperate last plea for mercy for daughter on death row in UAE
Exclusive: Shahzadi Khan's father tells The Independent she was trafficked to the Gulf nation and falsely accused of murdering an infant in her care
Malay Mail
IGP: 13 kids sodomised among 392 rescued from welfare houses of sexual horrors
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — The police, through preliminary investigations conducted in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor, have f...
Malay Mail
PM Anwar orders police, religious departments to hasten investigations on GISBH-linked welfare homes
BANGI, Sept 13 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has told the police to hasten their investigations on alleged c...
AFP News
Peru mourns divisive former strongman Fujimori
Peruvians began three days of national mourning Thursday for polarizing former president Alberto Fujimori, who ruled his country with an iron fist and then spent 16 years in prison for crimes against humanity.Fujimori, who led Peru from 1990 to 2000, was released from prison on humanitarian grounds in December while serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity during his rule.
Reuters
Malaysian police to summon Islamic firm as more evidence of child sex abuse emerges
Malaysian police said on Friday they will summon the top management of an Islamic business group, after children rescued from charity homes allegedly run by the firm suffered injuries consistent with sexual and physical assault. Police this week rescued 402 children and youths in raids carried out at 20 premises that they said were operated by Islamic conglomerate Global Ikhwan Services and Business (GISB). GISB has said they did not run the homes and denied allegations of sexual abuses at the properties.
AFP News
Malaysia widens probe into 'horror' care home child abuse
Malaysian police expanded their probe Friday into a major conglomerate with links to a banned Islamic sect, after hundreds of children were rescued from alleged abuse at care homes believed to be run by the group.GISB has denied the allegations and said they do not run the care homes raided in the states of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
Evening Standard
Kabir Singh: Urgent appeal after man, 24, goes missing from Enfield park
Kabir Singh was reported missing on August 10 and his phone and bank cards have not been used
AFP News
Myanmar battles Yagi floods as Vietnam begins clear-up
Hundreds of villagers in Myanmar waded or swam through chin-high waters, fleeing severe floods around the remote capital Naypyidaw on Friday, while Vietnam began clearing up after deadly Typhoon Yagi.People in parts of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar have been battling floods and landslides in the wake of Typhoon Yagi, which dumped a colossal deluge of rain when it hit the region last weekend.
Reuters
Samsung India strike puts spotlight on powerful Indian labour group
A labour strike in India that has disrupted production at a Samsung plant has put the spotlight on a politically-backed worker group which quietly mobilized employees of the South Korean company and now plans to extend its efforts in the country's electronics sector. The Samsung protests over low wages, now in their fifth day, cast a shadow on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan of courting foreign investors to "Make in India" and tripling electronics production to $500 billion in six years. From Foxconn to Micron, companies have been lured to more business friendly policies and cheap labour under Modi's decade-long rule, especially as foreign manufacturing giants look to diversify their supply chains beyond the powerhouse of China.
The Independent
Myanmar junta issues rare appeal for foreign aid as scale of Typhoon Yagi devastation emerges
More than 235,000 people displaced in floods with capital Naypyidaw worst-hit
The Independent
Teacher who held coconut placard of Sunak and Braverman found not guilty
Marieha Hussain, 37, was acquitted after standing trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London
Malay Mail
Selangor to crack down on Tahfiz centres exploiting children, vows tough action
SHAH ALAM, Sept 13 — The Selangor government will not hesitate to revoke operating licences and take stern action agains...
CNN
See behind the scenes aboard the Pope’s plane
CNN’s Christopher Lamb was among dozens of journalists who accompanied Pope Francis on the longest trip of his papacy, visiting Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Take a look behind the scenes.

'Growing pains'

Latest stories