Do you remember when Telegram was about to disappear in USA? We spent a whole weekend in tension with threats to “take down” the app to broadcast illegal content from series and film platforms. Ultimately, such a radical decision was not taken and it was preferred to investigate the origin of these broadcasting groups.
Today, in 2024, Russian billionaire and co-founder of Telegram (Pavel Dúrov) has been arrested in Paris at a time when its platform is at the center of a global controversy. Pavel has made freedom and privacy on the Internet its flagso much so that he is now at risk of losing his own. His arrest is not only a blow to him, but to all of us who are users of the said application.
Telegram’s debut outside Russia
Dúrov founded Telegram in 2013 with his brother Nikolai after fleeing Russia and selling his stake in the social network (which they also founded) VKontakte. Since its inception, Telegram was designed with a clear goal: Provide users with a censorship-resistant and privacy-focused communication tool.
The application allows the creation of groups with up to 200,000 members and offers a very high level of encryption. So much so that it has played a key role in its adoption by activists, journalists and citizens in countries with authoritarian governments. But this freedom of communication has also made the platform a target for authorities seeking to limit the dissemination of certain content.
In 2021, there was a turning point
In 2021, Telegram experienced explosive growth following the storming of the US Capitol. With major social networks cracking down on those who incited violence or spread disinformationMillions of users have migrated to Telegram in search of a space without restrictions.
In just a few days, The platform has grown by 25 million new usersThis massive influx has not only made Telegram a viable alternative to services like WhatsApp, but has also attracted groups and activists who have found in Telegram a platform without limits.
Telegram reached global popularity after the storming of the US Capitol
Dúrov’s arrest and the uncertain future of Telegram
The arrest of Pavel Dúrov at Le Bourget airport, in the suburbs of Paris, is the result of an investigation that accuses Telegram of does not cooperate enough with the authorities in the fight against criminal activities taking place on the platform. From pedophile networks to drug trafficking and organized crime. From France, they reported Telegram as a space where these activities can proliferate without controlDurov’s refusal to compromise his users’ privacy has led him to face charges of obstruction of justice. Here are the twelve crimes he is charged with:
- Complicity in the administration of an online platform for illicit transactions in an organized group.
- Refusal to provide information required by authorities for legal interceptions.
- Possession of pornographic images of minors.
- Dissemination or making available of pornographic images of minors in an organized group.
- Acquisition, transportation, possession, offering or sale of drugs.
- Offering equipment, tools or programs to damage data systems without justification.
- Complicity in organized group fraud.
- Criminal association with a view to committing serious crimes.
- Laundering of profits from organized crime.
- Providing cryptography services without proper certification.
- Delivery of cryptographic tools without guaranteeing authentication or integrity.
- Importing cryptographic tools without the necessary declaration.
As for the legality of having Telegram on iPhone, there is no problem: you can download and use the application without it being illegal. Telegram is available on the App Store and is not subject to any specific legal restrictions in most countries. I use it daily to talk to friends and I like it much more than WhatsApp.
That doesn’t mean the platform isn’t in the spotlight, though. Telegram’s situation could change, depending on how Dúrov and his team handle legal pressures. Telegram is not going to disappear immediately, but it could face changes in its usage policies, or even regional limitations, as they tried to do in USA a few months ago.
Elon Musk has already spoken out in support of Pavel Dúrov. But where is the limit? The app itself is not a problem, but the criminal practices that can be carried out within it are. And if the app does not take action, is the problem with the app?
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