Telegram: why the application worries the authorities so much

Recently brought to light by the arrest in France of its CEO, the Telegram application is worried several governments because of certain practices and features.

The case will probably not have escaped your notice: on August 24, Pavel Durov, the naturalized French Russian boss of the Telegram application, was arrested by the police when his plane landed at Le Bourget airport. While the latter was preparing to enjoy a dinner planned in Paris, the CEO of Telegram will have finally spent nearly four days in police custody.

After several hours of uncertainty surrounding his arrest and detention, Pavel Durov was reportedly brought before an investigating judge with a view to being charged. The facts alleged against the Franco-Russian man are said to be linked to a lack of moderation towards Telegram.

What exactly is being accused of? Telegram ?

The Telegram app has nearly a billion users worldwide. An impressive figure, but still quite far from some competitors like WhatsApp. Pavel Durov's app also suffers from a lack of privacy compared to other solutions like Signal, since Telegram does not practice end-to-end encryption of conversations by default, as WhatsApp or Signal can do.

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In addition to this lack of confidentiality, Telegram remains an application of choice for many abuses. Whether it is scams, pedophilia cases, or relays of conspiracy theories, the application is a privileged medium for many behaviors, often deemed illicit by the authorities.

In recent months, the platform has notably established itself as a space of choice for pro-Russian accounts. They flood different chat channels to spread their information and recruit more members ready to defend the Kremlin's interests.

Why Telegram worries governments so much ?

As we mentioned earlier, Telegram is not an app known for its privacy. However, its main competitors WhatsApp and Signal are based in the United States. These companies are, therefore, quite easy to call into question in the event of a moderation breach or legal investigation.

This is not the case for Telegram, which is headquartered in Dubai. Conducting operations in the United Arab Emirates is much more complicated for the authorities, which gives the company's members a certain immunity from government accusations.

This is why France decided to act at the end of August, taking advantage of a short stopover by Pavel Durov in Paris. The French authorities, according to BFM, have questioned Telegram CEO for the app's lack of cooperation with content deemed illegal. Following this arrest, Pavel Durov's company had notably assured that it would comply with the rights of the European Union.

Contrary to what many may think, a Dubai-based company does not depend on the laws where it is established, but must comply with the laws of the nations where it operates. The application must therefore comply with European regulations and in particular the DSA, voted on a few months ago for its operations in Europe.