Telegram's Founder Vows to Tackle Criminal Activity Amid Charges

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has committed to increasing efforts to combat criminal activity on the messaging app. This comes after French authorities charged him for allegedly allowing criminal activities on Telegram. Durov, who was questioned by French investigators, argues that holding CEOs accountable for third-party crimes is misplaced.

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has pledged to intensify efforts to counter criminal activities on the messaging app, following his first public comments since being charged by French authorities for supposedly permitting such activities.

In a Telegram post on Thursday night, Durov criticized the French judicial investigation, asserting that he should not be personally targeted in this manner.

"Using laws from the pre-smartphone era to prosecute a CEO for crimes committed by others on the platform he oversees is fundamentally flawed," Durov stated. He explained that surging user numbers had facilitated platform abuse by criminals, but reassured that steps had already been taken internally to address these issues, with further updates forthcoming.

(With inputs from agencies.)