The messaging app Telegram is one of those that offers the most privacy and anonymity. Because of this, Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, was arrested in France on August 24, 2024, when his private plane landed in the Gallic country. But what is Durov accused of and, above all, will we see changes in Telegram?
In case you’re not familiar with it, Telegram is a messaging app with end-to-end encryption by default. This prevents third parties from being able to see and monitor a conversation, something that is often used for criminal purposes.
Several terrorist attacks have been organized using this messaging app. Additionally, it is also used for drug trafficking, human trafficking and other crimes. Just as this app is used, others such as WhatsApp or Signal are also used, which even offer more privacy and anonymity than Telegram.
Reasons for the arrest of Telegram founder
As we said, Durov was arrested as soon as his private plane landed in France. He is charged with concealing fraud, organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism, among others. This is because he has persistently refused to provide a master key that allows conversations on the app to be decrypted.
France is accusing Durov of failing to put in place measures to prevent or hinder the use of this messaging app for criminal activities. The list includes activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, paedophilia and the dissemination of malware, among others.
It is noted that, as the founder of the app, he is responsible for what happens on it. Since they are not taking measures to prevent these activities, he is also criminally liable.
There are voices that point out that political pressures seeking to control the content on the network and limit the privacy of users could be behind his arrest. Since Telegram has a high degree of encryption, they claim that the application is used for illicit activities.
Russia banned Telegram in the country a few years ago after refusing to provide a master key. This was after a jihadist attack was organised through this messaging app. Other countries have taken similar reprisals for also refusing to provide a way to access and spy on conversations.
Due to the high level of privacy, the messaging app has seen an increase in illegal activity within the tool. It is estimated that the social network has very quickly surpassed 950 million users because its majority use is for committing illegal activities.
“Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act. Its moderation is in line with industry standards and is constantly improving. Durov has nothing to hide,” the company said in a statement.
It should be noted that Durov recently posted a message from his account about the changes that were coming. The idea was to increase the privacy of chats.
Will we see changes in Telegram?
There is nothing certain at the moment, but it seems that the app has already started to introduce changes. It seems that the pressure and accusations against Durov are starting to hurt the messaging app.
Despite the reluctance, they have lowered their position and are more willing to respond to the EU’s demands. The FAQ no longer contains the part that indicated that private chats were untouchable.
We are talking about a major change that seems to take time. Not all messages will be read indiscriminately, but they seem more open to allowing some conversations to be accessible. We do not know, if this happens, how a balance will be created between privacy and control of messages.
We have to accept that the application will soon change its operation, whether we like it or not. We assume that the company will inform us of the changes before implementing them.
