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Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced he is back in Dubai after months in France, saying the company has always met and “exceeded” legal obligations in moderation and cooperation with authorities.
On March 17, Durov shared an update on Telegram, confirming his return while acknowledging that legal proceedings are ongoing. French authorities temporarily suspended judicial control over him from March 15 to April 7, according to Russian news outlet TASS.
This pause delays legal proceedings and enforcement actions, but Durov may have to return to France once the period ends.
Durov was arrested in Paris on August 24 as part of an investigation into Telegram’s role in allegedly enabling illegal activities. Reports from March 15 suggested that a French court approved his request to leave the country.
In his Telegram post, Durov thanked investigative judges for allowing his return, along with his legal team and supporters. He insisted that Telegram had gone beyond what was legally required in content moderation and crime prevention. “There is nothing our billion-strong community can’t overcome,” he added.
The CEO reassured users that Telegram’s core principles remain unchanged. The company continues to balance local legal compliance with its mission to protect activists and ordinary users from oppressive governments or corporations, ensuring that criminals cannot exploit the platform.
Pavel Durov confirmed in October that the platform has been disclosing IP addresses and phone numbers of criminals to authorities since 2018.
Durov added that this process is not new, stating that Telegram has long responded to properly formed legal requests from authorities across most countries. These disclosures are made when users are involved in criminal activities, aligning with Telegram’s privacy policies.
For instance, in Brazil, Telegram fulfilled 75 legal requests in Q1 2024, and in India, its largest market, the company satisfied 2461 legal requests in the same period.
Telegram CEO stated earlier that he is prepared to withdraw from markets where the company’s principles conflict with regulatory demands. Durov cited Russia and Iran as examples of countries where Telegram has previously pulled out due to disagreements with regulators over privacy and security issues.
Durov’s comments come after his recent arrest at a Paris airport and subsequent indictment by a French court on charges of “complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and other crimes such as drug trafficking” via Telegram’s encrypted services.
Following the arrest, Durov was released under “judicial supervision,” which mandates that he remain in France.
His return to Dubai coincided with a surge in Toncoin (TON), the native cryptocurrency of The Open Network, a blockchain closely tied to Telegram. On March 15, TON jumped from $2.93 to $3.46, later hitting a seven-day high of $3.59 before settling around $3.41, according to CoinGecko.
