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When Pavel Durov began developing a brand new app in the early 2010s, his main goal was to create a platform that would protect users from oppressive regimes. Born in the Soviet Union in 1984 – the same year George Orwell’s novel of the same name was published – Durov was well aware of how freedom of communication could be abused to undermine authoritarian governments.
By the age of 22, he had founded VKontakte (VK), which quickly became the most popular social network in his home country and attracted the attention of the authorities. Under pressure to shut down and expose opposition groups operating on the platform, Durov left the company and fled Russia to build something more resistant to state control.
The new app was called Telegram and it landed Durov in trouble with the authorities again after he was arrested in France following investigations into child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and other criminal activities on the platform. So how did such good intentions lead to such controversy?
With a similar layout and functionality to WhatsApp, Telegram has added key privacy features such as end-to-end encrypted “secret chats” and self-destructing messages, allowing dissidents and protesters to communicate freely without fear of recrimination. But this has also attracted more malicious users.
In 2015, Telegram became the main communication platform of the Islamic State (ISIS). The terrorist group was able to coordinate its activities through private messages and spread propaganda and recruit members in large group chats. The group even set up technical support channels on Telegram to help its members evade surveillance.
As ISIS’s so-called caliphate spread across Iraq and Syria, it gained notoriety for taking aid workers and journalists hostage and beheading them – videos of which were shared on its Telegram channels. This led to increasing pressure on Telegram to shut down the groups and ban ISIS members and sympathizers from using the app, but Durov remained defiant.
In a rare public interview in September 2015, the tech chief — now living in self-imposed exile from Russia — refused to take action against ISIS. “I think privacy and our right to privacy are ultimately more important than our fear of bad things like terrorism,” he said. “It’s a series of tragic events, but ultimately ISIS will always find a way to communicate with each other… I don’t think we should feel bad about it. I still think we’re doing the right thing: protecting the privacy of our users.”
Two months later, ISIS terrorists killed 130 people in a series of attacks in Paris, prompting Durov to change his stance. Telegram closed dozens of public channels associated with the group and implemented measures to monitor and prevent terrorist activity on the app.
The new approach did not prevent criminal activity on the app, and channels spreading far-right and extreme content were able to flourish despite a broader tech industry crackdown. Telegram has provided a platform for everyone from QAnon conspiracy theorists to Hamas, and also became a go-to resource for organizers and participants in the recent unrest in the UK.
The controversy surrounding the app has not slowed its growth: Durov’s latest figures, released just weeks before his arrest, suggest the app is close to hitting the one billion monthly active users mark.
The vast majority of these users do not engage in these criminal activities or even have access to them. Many continue to use it for its intended purpose. People in countries like Russia and Iran can still circumvent strict government censorship because the regimes cannot shut down the platform.
“This is clearly a fascinating case at the intersection of free speech and government oversight,” said Seth Goertz, a former assistant U.S. attorney at the Justice Department who worked on Telegram during his tenure. The Independent.
“The problem is that Telegram is a real unicorn: it provides an extremely valuable means of communication for people living in surveillance states, but its commitment to encryption makes it very popular with criminal and even terrorist organizations.”
Following Durov’s arrest in Paris last Saturday, Telegram said Durov had “nothing to hide” and the company “complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act.” The company added that its moderation was “within industry standards.” Durov is expected to either be released or charged by French authorities on Wednesday.
