Key Takeaways:

• Pavel Durov admitted to French magistrates the seriousness of allegations regarding Telegram's involvement in organized crime.
• He refuted claims that Telegram was designed for criminal use, stating an increase in users also led to misuse.
• Durov acknowledged the challenges in moderation and investigation cooperation with French authorities, emphasizing improvements.

In recent developments regarding the allegations against Telegram, founder Pavel Durov conveyed to investigating magistrates in France his recognition of the seriousness of all the allegations he faces linked to organized crime. During a lengthy interrogation, extracts revealed that Durov expressed that the messaging platform, established in 2013, "was not created to be a platform for criminals," stressing the rise in Telegram's popularity has unfortunately led to an increase in users exploiting the service for illegal activities.

Durov, who has faced scrutiny over the platform's lack of stringent identification checks, admitted that between 15 and 20 million accounts are deleted monthly due to illegal usage, reported during his questioning by the magistrates. His responses reflect a mixture of deflection and acknowledgment as he initially pointed fingers at the French authorities for not adequately alerting him about reported criminal activities on Telegram. "My location and my personal Telegram account were known to the French authorities," he claimed, adding that he had been cooperative as a platform.

Amidst various allegations, including serious offences ranging from drug trafficking to child exploitation, Durov argued that all messaging services similarly do not verify the identities of their users. He stated that "the effective measures" employed by Telegram are sufficient in addressing criminal abuse, although he recognized that the ease of use of the app may appeal to organized criminals. "I think that is the case for all messaging services," he noted when asked about user checks.

Despite facing complicity charges, Durov asserted his commitment to bolstering moderation processes, echoing similar statements made previously in September. With Telegram's user base estimated at 950 million, the platform has also faced claims of failing to respond to 400 reports made by the American National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in just one year.

The controversy continues as Durov prepares for further questioning concerning the platform's moderation practices and user screening processes, with judicial scrutiny intensifying around Telegram's operational ethics in the face of rising organized crime.