Pavel Durov: "We Didn't Fold to the EU" — Telegram Founder Shuts Down Compliance Rumors

🧨 Durov Claps Back: Telegram Was Already Playing by EU Rules

Telegram CEO and TON co-founder Pavel Durov has hit back at French media reports that claimed his 2023 detention led to Telegram finally bowing to EU regulations.

In a fiery post on his official Telegram channel, Durov called the claims “blatant misinformation” and insisted that Telegram had been compliant with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) well before any French police drama.

“Telegram has always been compliant with EU law,” he wrote.

📉 What French Media Claimed

French outlets alleged that Durov’s brief detainment in 2023 forced Telegram into finally cooperating with the European Union’s DSA rules. According to the reports, the platform only began handing over user data after the incident.

Spoiler: Durov says that’s pure fiction.

✅ What Durov Says Actually Happened

In his rebuttal, Durov clarified:

• Telegram was already aligned with DSA requirements before August 2023
• It was French authorities who began using the proper legal channels after that date
• Only court-authorized requests get access to user data like IP addresses
• Compliance isn’t new: Telegram spends millions annually to meet legal standards globally

Translation? The narrative that Telegram "bent the knee" post-detention is false.

💼 The Bigger Picture: DSA, Law Enforcement, and Privacy

Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, platforms like Telegram must cooperate with national authorities on issues like illegal content and user safety. But Durov’s key point is that Telegram was already ahead of the curve, and nothing changed after 2023 — except maybe the French legal system finally catching up.

“We didn’t change. They just started using the proper channels.”

That’s a subtle but important flex.

✅ TL;DR

• 🇫🇷 French media says Durov’s 2023 detention made Telegram comply with EU law
• 🚫 Durov says nope — Telegram was already compliant before the incident
• 🧾 French police started using proper legal channels after August 2023
• 💰 Telegram spends millions yearly on legal compliance across jurisdictions
• 🔒 User data is shared only via court-approved DSA processes

Telegram didn’t bend — the system just finally caught up.