Arrest of Telegram CEO has nothing to do with DSA, the European Commission says.
The arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, on suspicion of allowing criminal activity on his platform has nothing to do with the company’s obligations under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a spokesperson for the European Commission told Euronews on Monday.
The platform is Dubai-based, and Durov has dual citizenship in France and the United Arab Emirates. Press requests are handled by an automated bot on Telegram's platform. The company has no known Brussels presence and isn't registered in the European Union's transparency register.
That has allowed Telegram to avoid several EU efforts to curb online misconduct, Politico notes.
The EU didn't manage to enlist Telegram for its voluntary code of practice on disinformation, for example, which was launched in 2018 and revised in 2022. Major players like Google, Meta (banned and designated as extremist in Russia) and TikTok signed the pledge, but Telegram held out.
Nevertheless, the DSA forced Telegram to comply with a number of requirements. These include removing illegal content, cooperating with national authorities and complying with their content removal orders. According to European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier, Telegram has been engaging with EU officials.
"We have exchanges with the platform, with all the platforms, including Telegram. When we ask something [of] Telegram, we get a reply,"
he said.
Durov was detained on the evening of August 24 upon arrival in Paris. The warrant was issued by the judicial police on the basis of a “preliminary investigation”. The arrest was later extended. The businessman may be held until August 28, after which he must either be released or charged. Durov is being investigated by the gendarmerie's cybercrime unit and fraud department.
French media reported he was detained on an arrest warrant over allegations his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses, according to the Associated Press.
