One year after his dramatic arrest in France, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov has restated his unwavering stance on data privacy, emphatically declaring he would “rather die” than allow third parties access to private messages on his platform.
Durov’s statement came via a post on X (formerly Twitter), responding to rumors that he had provided French authorities with access to encrypted Telegram data. He refuted any such claims, calling them “legally and logically absurd.”
In recounting his arrest in August 2024, Durov described the episode as a shocking attempt to hold him personally accountable for alleged criminal activity conducted by others on Telegram—a move he said undermines both legal norms and platform integrity.
Durov emphasized that Telegram has consistently complied with legally binding requests through proper channels and continues to uphold an industry-standard moderation policy.
