The regulation states that tech companies are accountable for monitoring content on their platform
According to a source within the EU’s legal system, the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France aligns with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates service providers to take responsibility for content shared on their platforms. TASS reported this on Sunday.
The Russian tech entrepreneur, who also holds citizenship in France, the UAE, and St. Kitts and Nevis, was apprehended upon arriving at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on Saturday. He is reportedly facing accusations of failing to curb criminal activities on his platform.
The TASS source stated that Durov’s arrest is “fully in line with the spirit and the principles” of the DSA. “If the operator desires to avoid penalties, it must automatically remove content prohibited by the European regulator.
However, the source added that the DSA “does not include personal or criminal liability, meaning the prosecution in France went beyond its scope.” The source also mentioned that Durov’s legal team might encounter “added difficulties,” as the allegations against him could be linked to French national security, and organizing public support due to his Russian origin could be more challenging.
Durov left Russia in the mid-2010s due to disagreements with the government and has primarily resided in the UAE since then. He obtained French and Emirati citizenship in 2021.
He has maintained that it is his “principled stance” to safeguard user data privacy and that he “would rather be free than take orders from anyone.” In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson in April, Durov revealed that he faced pressure from the US government to install a surveillance “backdoor,” which he refused to do.
Telegram issued a statement on Sunday, asserting that its content-moderation policies are “within industry standards.”
Several public figures in Russia and internationally have condemned Durov’s arrest, describing it as an attack on freedom of speech and the unhindered flow of information. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the consulate in Paris has requested access to Durov.