Crime Scene Telegram: The Limits of Free Speech

DW (English)

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging service Telegram, was arrested by French authorities. Is that an overdue step against criminal activity on the platform? Or a threat to free speech?

Transcript

00:00Pavel Durov, CEO of social app Telegram, has been arrested by French authorities.

00:06They accuse him of not cooperating with them in investigating crime on the platform.

00:11Crime such as spreading child sexual abuse material.

00:15He has since been released after paying 5 million euros bail,

00:19but is not allowed to leave France for the time being.

00:22A social media CEO detained in a European country?

00:26That's big news!

00:27What does this mean for freedom of speech online? And why Telegram?

00:32Telegram offers two main services to its 900 million and more active users worldwide.

00:39Messaging and social networking.

00:41Pavel Durov sees himself as a defender of free speech

00:45and has previously refused to share user data with governments.

00:49In 2014, he was asked to hand over personal data of Ukrainian users

00:54of his social network VKontakte to Russian security agencies.

00:59He didn't. As a result, he was forced to sell VKontakte and went into exile.

01:04Because of Durov, Telegram is regarded as a safe haven by many.

01:09Especially by those with non-mainstream opinions, but also by criminals.

01:14A double-edged sword.

01:15Telegram has played a vital role in political conflicts.

01:19It was a key tool for protesters during the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations.

01:24Unlike Facebook and Instagram, Telegram is reluctant to censor content such as information from Gaza.

01:31For many in the West, Telegram is also seen as a powerful amplifier of Russian propaganda.

01:37Apart from that, it is also a fact that Telegram is very popular

01:41among cybercriminals and political extremists.

01:44But criminal activity is not only a problem on Telegram.

01:48Meta, for example, has faced a lot of scrutiny for not regulating Facebook's marketplace enough.

01:54Experts argue it is facilitating illegal trade from child sexual abuse material to human trafficking.

02:01But while Meta says it cooperates with authorities to get a grip on these severe problems,

02:06Durov and Telegram are generally trying to resist requests from governments.

02:12How anonymous is Telegram really?

02:15Interestingly, while WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption by default, Telegram does not.

02:21All messages can be read by Telegram unless users set up a secret chat, which many simply don't do.

02:29And despite Pavel Durov's strong stance on user privacy, Telegram faces limits.

02:35If the service ignores local laws, it risks being banned.

02:39Here are two examples.

02:40In 2022, Telegram shared data with German police on suspected terrorists and child abusers

02:47and deleted far-right extremist accounts.

02:50In Russia, Telegram must follow a law that forces channels with over 500,000 followers

02:56to provide user information to the government.

02:59So if Telegram is already cooperating with some authorities, why doesn't it do more to fight online crime?

03:06In a blog post statement, the platform reacted to Durov's arrest like this.

03:11It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.

03:17Do you think that's a valid point?

03:19What could all that mean for social media in general?

03:23Digital privacy advocates argue France's action could encourage other countries

03:28to prosecute platform CEOs for failing to hand over user data.

03:33There's pros and cons here.

03:35Some user data will help fight crime.

03:38Other user data will help governments to surveil and oppress their citizens.

03:43Still, online crime is a huge problem.

03:46And if the events lead to a broader debate on whether social media companies carry some responsibility,

03:52all of us could benefit.

03:54Telegram is not the only one to play the

03:56I'm-not-responsible-for-what-my-users-do card.

04:00We've heard similar arguments from Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.

04:03What's your opinion on all of this? Let us know.

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