France Telegram Case Turns 2: Is Durov Being Prosecuted For Saying No?

What Happened

The French criminal investigation opened in August 2024 remains active. Durov argues the case has weakened as evidence about Telegram’s moderation record has accumulated.

However, the probe itself never closed. French prosecutors have examined whether Telegram enabled criminal activity by failing to cooperate with lawful requests. Durov now says two years of data undercut its premise. Telegram, he argues, neither moderated worse than rivals nor cooperated less with authorities.

Durov expects the investigation to eventually face questions of its own. He points to domestic pushback against President Emmanuel Macron’s online rules.

Market Context

Meanwhile, Durov points to platforms he says escape comparable scrutiny. The Tech Transparency Project, a corporate accountability watchdog, reviewed Meta’s ad library this month. It found more than 50 paid ads carrying AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

Why It Matters

Whether French prosecutors move toward trial or quietly wind the case down may become clearer in the months ahead.

Details

France’s Telegram case turned two years old on Monday. Founder Pavel Durov marked the date by accusing governments of punishing the app for refusing censorship demands.

How France’s Telegram Case Began

French police held Durov for three days in 2024, the longest period allowed before charges. He describes the move as a first, with a platform executive accused over offenses committed by users.

Restrictions on him have since loosened. France lifted his travel restrictions in November 2025, ending a year of mandatory police check-ins.

A Pattern Durov Says Repeats Across Countries

Durov says officials in several countries quietly asked Telegram for political favors, including censorship and surveillance he considers illegal. Refusal, he argues, triggers campaigns from local media and advocacy groups.

He has previously described requests tied to elections in Romania and Moldova. He and Elon Musk have separately accused European regulators of using child safety as leverage.

Telegram’s safety page reports 23.6 million groups and channels blocked this year. Of those, 370,777 were tied to child abuse material and 164,099 to terrorist content.

What Comes Next for the French Case

That pushback is now visible in French courts. Judges have begun testing how far the government can restrict platforms before free expression protections apply.

France’s Constitutional Council struck down a ban on social media for children under 15. The August 14 decision cited freedom of expression.

Durov has made similar accusations against Russia, which charged him with terrorism offenses in July.

GRAM, the Telegram-linked token formerly known as Toncoin, traded around $1.47 on Monday, down roughly 3% in 24 hours.

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