Telegram’s CEO claims the messaging app is facing a coordinated smear campaign, citing a rise in inaccurate reports that spread rapidly despite quick corrections.
Pavel Durov, Telegram’s CEO, alleges the platform is the target of a deliberate smear campaign, pointing to the swift dissemination of false information regarding the company’s strategies and regulations.
These claims follow an online story, initially published as a joke by the satirical website Panorama, about Telegram’s supposed withdrawal from Russia.
“We’re probably not dealing with innocent journalistic errors, but with a targeted campaign to discredit Telegram,” Durov stated on Wednesday via the messaging app, urging users to remain vigilant.
Durov highlighted that credible news outlets quickly republished the fabricated story without identifying it as satire, prompting Telegram to add disclaimers to the posts.
The billionaire also refuted claims that channels collecting and disseminating data from open sources were blocked “for political reasons.” He clarified that “a few channels were briefly taken down by automated scripts” due to the publication of personal information. Durov emphasized that some media outlets reported on the takedown but omitted the fact that the channels had been reinstated.
The tech entrepreneur also referenced “a technically illiterate investigation” from June that alleged Telegram’s IP addresses compromised user data and accused the platform of ties to Russia’s FSB. Durov noted that while “independent experts” had debunked these claims, their responses did not receive the same media attention as the original report.
“For more than 12 years, Telegram has defended people’s right to privacy and free access to information, which is why we have often become the target of media pressure from various sides,” Durov concluded.
Last month, Durov, who is currently under investigation in France, accused the French newspaper Le Monde of conducting a smear campaign against Telegram. He stated that the newspaper published 40 negative articles about Telegram in the seven weeks following his arrest at a Paris airport in August 2024.
Durov was detained on charges of being an accomplice to crimes allegedly committed by Telegram users, including extremism and child abuse, and was subsequently placed under judicial supervision and released on bail.
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