Telegram founder Durov criticized France due to the detention process.

The founder and CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, stated in his first statement after being arrested in France that he found the process "surprising" and said, "It is wrong to use laws from the pre-smartphone era to accuse a CEO for crimes committed by individuals on the platform he manages."

Durov, who was released under judicial control after being arrested in France, made his first statements on social media.

Durov, who said that he was interrogated by the police for 4 days after arriving in Paris last month, stated that "French authorities told me that I could be personally responsible for others using Telegram illegally because they couldn't get a response from Telegram. This was surprising for several reasons."

Durov pointed out that Telegram has an official representative in the European Union (EU) and stated that they always respond to the demands of the EU.

Durov also mentioned that French authorities have many options to reach him and evaluated that "It is wrong to use laws from the pre-smartphone era to accuse a CEO for crimes committed by individuals on the platform he manages."

Durov emphasized that building technology is not an easy process and stated, "No innovator can create new tools knowing that they can be personally held responsible for the misuse of these tools."

Durov stated that Russia and Iran had previously requested encryption keys from Telegram, and Telegram was banned in these countries because they refused.

Durov indicated that they are ready to leave markets that are not in line with Telegram's principles and stated that the number of people using the platform has reached 950 million, which has increased the abuse by criminals.

Durov commented, "I hope the events in August will make Telegram and the social networking industry as a whole safer and stronger."

Durov was released under judicial control

Durov was arrested on August 24 when he landed at Bourget Airport in Paris from his private jet.

Durov was reportedly arrested on the grounds that illegal content was accessed on Telegram.

The Paris Prosecutor's Office announced that Durov, who faced 12 different charges, was released on August 28 by the court with a bail of 5 million euros and under judicial control, and he will be tried without detention and a ban on leaving French territory was imposed on him.