Why Is Durov's Arrest Concerning?

You may have already heard that the CEO of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov got arrested in France on August 24th 2024. It's unclear whether he remains in custody, but as of the time of this post he is still detained.

Telegram is a partially open-source messaging service and is used over a billion users worldwide. It's not the best choice for security and privacy, but it's a solid app. It is more popular in Russia, India and some Arabic countries, due to its lack of backdoor for three-letter-agencies and excellent integration possibilities, it allows people to communicate with each other and avoid censorship at the same time. Telegram has gained popularity in Europe and North-America as well, its western user count has been increasing rapidly day by day.

So, what's the problem? Telegram supports free speech and doesn't track its users, so it can also be used for illegal activities and crime as well. Although we currently don't know much about what Durov is going to be charged with, most sources claim that he is being held accoutable for not censoring, banning or reporting such users to the authorities, which also means, he is passively supporting such activities. This analogy is easy to follow, however, it has flaws in my opinion. For example: There are many criminals who use burner phones for their acts and no phone company gets punished for allowing everyone to use their phones. Giving free access to a messaging app that supports free speech is not a crime. I am afraid, some governments are concerned about not being able to have access to their citizen's communication if needed. In other words, these governments don't really want us to have privacy. This is not news, but telling the world that a country is democratic, giving the right to free speech for everyone and arresting a person who is just helping to make this actually happen... I just cannot see how these could even relate.

I will keep using Telegram, but I also recommend Signal or Session, if you want to have an even better, more privacy-focused solution. And although it's completely unrelated, I am very happy with my Code118 wallet, which is not only cool but also protects my credit card credentials so they don't get stolen. Get your wallet with a discount by clicking HERE.