Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest: What are the allegations against the messaging app?

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram said in a statement, adding that the company “abides by European Union laws, including the Digital Services Act.”

While Durov is yet to be charged in the case, Russia and the United Arab Emirates have requested consular access to the 39-year-old tech billionaire as he holds citizenship of both countries.

Prominent figures such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and American whistleblower Edward Snowden have expressed support for Durov even as others have questioned the accountability of tech companies like Telegram in moderating content on their platforms. But, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasised that Durov’s arrest was “in no way a political decision” and that his country was “deeply committed to freedom of expression.”

Meanwhile, civil society and digital rights groups have reacted to Durov’s arrest with caution. “Our organisation has always advocated for greater moderation by platforms, in compliance with the principles of international law. But this arrest puts us in a delicate position: we understand the frustration of law enforcement with Telegram’s lax moderation policy; does this frustration justify introducing an equivalence in a democracy like France, that could have repercussions far beyond the Durov case? At what level do authorities consider that there is sufficient moderation?” Julie Owono, the executive director of Internet Without Borders, said in a statement.

Pavel Durov. co-founder and CEO of Telegram, delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, on February 23, 2016. (Image: Reuters)

What led Telegram to this point?

Launched in 2013, Telegram is a standard messaging app like WhatsApp where users can create or join channels with large numbers of users who share content on these groups. Besides communicating with and organising people, users also rely on Telegram for news updates. Telegram currently has over 90 crore users across countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Indonesia, and India, according to a report by The New York Times.

The platform’s light-touch approach to content moderation has reportedly led to a rise in its popularity over the years. While Telegram has proactively taken down violent content and content related to child sexual abuse, the platform has increasingly become a tool for drug sellers, far-right extremist groups, and terrorist organistions in sharing harmful content.

Law enforcement authorities have also expressed frustration over Telegram’s alleged lack of cooperation in taking down harmful content and tracing the account holders. For instance, child safety organisations in the US, UK, and Canada accused Telegram of ignoring their requests to take action against child sexual abuse material on the platform, according to a report by NBC.

In fact, Telegram’s own website states, “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.” “We have disclosed 0 bytes of user data to third parties, including governments,” it further claims.

Telegram has also positioned itself as a platform that prioritises user privacy by ensuring that chats are encrypted and rolling out features such as disappearing messages. However, several experts have repeatedly pointed out that end-to-end encryption is not enabled for every conversation by default.

Telegram has been either permanently or temporarily banned in over 31 countries so far, based on data provided by virtual private network (VPN) provider Surfshark.

Will India ban Telegram?

The charges stemming from Durov’s arrest has led to ripple effects in other countries such as India. The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reached out to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to examine if there are any pending complaints against Telegram for similar violations, according to a report by Financial Express. India has witnessed its fair share of security incidents and frauds that have played out on Telegram.

In 2023, a bot on Telegram reportedly leaked details of COVID-19 vaccine beneficiaries stored on the government’s CoWIN database. More recently, the admin of a Telegram channel was indicted in a stock-price rigging racket on the platform that was uncovered by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

The distribution of child pornography and leaked examination papers on the platform has drawn further scrutiny by Indian law enforcement agencies.