Telegram boss speaks publicly for the first time since French authorities targeted him

In a Telegram post, Mr Durov defended himself against the French judicial investigations and said he personally should not have been targeted.

“Using pre-smartphone laws to prosecute a CEO for crimes committed by third parties on the platform he manages is a misguided approach,” the post said.

“Developing technology is hard enough. No innovator will ever develop new tools if he knows that he can be held personally responsible for the potential misuse of those tools.”

While insisting that Telegram was not “some kind of anarchic paradise,” Mr. Durov said the increasing number of Telegram users “caused growth problems that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.”

“That is why I have made it my personal goal to ensure that we significantly improve things in this regard. We have already started this process internally and I will share with you further details on our progress shortly,” he said.