Social Media CEO Fires Back After Arrest: ‘No Innovator Will Ever Build New Tools’
Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging app that has come under scrutiny, has made a public statement addressing allegations from French authorities that the platform has been used for criminal activities, including child exploitation and drug trafficking. Durov criticized the legal approach taken against him, arguing that it is inappropriate to hold a CEO responsible for the misuse of a technology developed for public use. He emphasized that addressing criminal behavior on his platform is a personal priority and that internal improvements are already underway.
After being questioned by French investigators and released on bail, Durov expressed frustration over the allegations, suggesting that the authorities had failed to utilize existing communication channels to address their concerns. He stated that the messaging service has mechanisms in place to report illegal content and that an official representative exists for EU-related inquiries.
Durov raised concerns that such legal actions could discourage innovation, warning that potential creators might avoid building useful tools if they fear being held liable for their misuse. he stated that he would provide updates on progress to improve safety on the platform soon.
founder and CEO Pavel Durov promised to step up efforts to fight criminality on the messaging app, his first public comments since French authorities handed him preliminary charges for allegedly allowing the platform’s use for criminal activity.
In a post late Thursday, Durov defended himself against the French judicial investigation, suggesting that he should not have been targeted personally.
“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,” the post said. “Building technology is hard enough as it is. No innovator will ever build new tools if they know they can be personally held responsible for potential abuse of those tools.”
While insisting that is not “some sort of anarchic paradise,” Durov said surging numbers of users “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”
“That’s why I made it my personal goal to ensure we significantly improve things in this regard. We’ve already started that process internally, and I will more details on our progress with you very soon,” he said.
French investigators detained Durov at Le Bourget airport outside Paris in late August and questioned him for four days as part of a sweeping probe opened earlier this year. Released on 5 million euros bail, Durov has to report to a police station twice a week. Russia-born, he has amassed multiple citizenships, including French.
French allegations against Durov include that is used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that the platform refused to information or documents with investigators when required by law.
In his post, Durov said that while in police detention, “I was told I may be personally responsible for other people’s illegal use of , because the French authorities didn’t receive responses from .”
“This was surprising for several reasons,” he added.
He said has an official representative in the European Union who replies to EU requests, with a public address.
’s website informs users that they can contact the app through a bot and includes a link to report illegal content. It also includes an address and phone number for “competent authorities of the EU and EU members” to use. “If you are not a competent EU or EU member authority, your request will not be processed,” it says.
In his post, Durov said “French authorities had numerous ways to reach me to request assistance.” He said he also had previously worked with them to “establish a hotline with to deal with the threat of terrorism in France.”
“If a country is unhappy with an internet service, the established practice is to start a legal action against the service itself,” he said.
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