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Durov pledges to step up Telegram moderation while interrogated in France — report

He made the pledge during his interrogation on December 6, according to the report

PARIS, January 17. /TASS/. Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram messaging app, assured French investigators that the platform will step up content moderation, France Info radio reported.

He made the pledge during his interrogation on December 6, according to the report. Durov insisted that Telegram was not created to become a "platform for criminals." He pledged to improve moderation and said that every month the app’s administrators delete 15 million to 20 million accounts for violating rules. The businessman said Telegram provided data about 10,000 of its users to authorities in some countries over the past six months, acting on their requests. Durov argued that his app is not the only one used to commit crimes, and pointed to competition to make his case.

Asked why sufficient measures were not taken until after his detention in the summer of 2024 in France, Durov said that it was during his time in custody that he "realized the seriousness" of the drawbacks.

Durov was detained at the Le Bourget airport on August 24. French investigators indicted Durov on six counts, including involvement in a criminal group that administrated an online platform with the intent to enable illegal transactions. According to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office, the offense carries a prison term of up to 10 years and a fine of 500,000 euros.

A judge ruled to put Durov under court supervision, ordering a bail of 5 million euros. The ruling also required Durov to visit a police station twice a week and barred him from leaving France.

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