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Last weekend, French authorities detained Pavel Durov, the CEO and founder of Telegram, at Le Bourget Airport, sparking widespread international concern. The arrest has sparked strong condemnation, including from the TON Society and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates.
Both entities have called for Durov’s immediate release, citing his vital role in championing freedom of expression and user privacy through Telegram.
France Faces Backlash Over Durov’s Detention Amidst Encryption Debate
The TON Society, representing the community behind The Open Network (TON), described the arrest as an assault on fundamental human rights. Their statement emphasized that Durov’s detention goes beyond legal implications, striking at the heart of online privacy and free communication. The group has urged global institutions, including the United Nations and the European Union, to intervene and challenge France’s actions.
“Lastly, we call on all tech and social media platforms to resist baseless and extra-judicial orders that violate the rights of their users, which must be defended at all costs,” TON Society stated in their open letter.
The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also expressed concern over the arrest of Durov, who is an Emirati citizen. The ministry has requested that the French government provide Durov with urgent consular services.
“Prioritizing the welfare of UAE citizens, safeguarding their interests, and providing them with all aspects of support is a key priority for the UAE,” Afra Al Hameli, the Director of Strategic Communications at UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.
French authorities have accused Durov of serious crimes, including conspiracy in illegal transactions, child pornography, drug trafficking, and cybercrimes. Additionally, he is charged with providing unauthorized cryptology services and refusing to allow French authorities access to monitor certain users on Telegram.
Many view these allegations with skepticism, seeing them as a pretext to undermine encrypted communication and user privacy. Critics argue that Durov’s arrest is a significant overreach and could set a dangerous precedent for the future of online privacy.
The lack of transparency surrounding the investigation has fueled suspicions about the motives behind the arrest. Some even suggest that this is an attempt to weaken Telegram’s strong privacy protections.
In response to the growing international criticism, French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that Durov’s arrest was not politically motivated. Macron emphasized that while “France is deeply committed to freedom of expression, communication, and innovation,” these freedoms must operate within a legal framework that protects citizens and respects their rights.
“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter,” Macron affirmed.
Building Resilience: TON’s Role in the Evolution of Telegram’s Ecosystem
Despite the allegations, Telegram claimed that it has consistently maintained its compliance with European Union regulations, including the Digital Services Act. The platform regularly updates its moderation policies to meet industry standards while safeguarding user privacy.
TON blockchain, which is part of Telegram’s ecosystem, also confirmed this approach. A spokesperson for TON explained to BeInCrypto that each project building on TON works hard to comply with the regulations of the countries in which it operates.
“That being said, user privacy is a fundamental right, and regulations should never compromise that. TON operates as a decentralized blockchain, working permissionlessly and enabling peer-to-peer transactions. With 100% uptime so far, it will continue to function this way, serving the builders who are creating an ecosystem of apps for users on top of it. Projects must take regulations seriously to reduce the impact legal cases can have on their users,” the spokesperson said.
Durov’s arrest has also intensified discussions about the need for decentralized technologies to resist governmental pressures and maintain the integrity of user privacy. Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, expressed confidence that the incident would ultimately strengthen the industry’s resolve to advance decentralized solutions.
“While it is concerning that Pavel was arrested, it has also cast a massive spotlight on both TON and Telegram, which are not as well known in parts of the West (e.g., the US in comparison to Asia). I suspect this will increase user adoption on Telegram and TON ecosystem,” Siu told BeInCrypto in an email.
Indeed, this situation has sparked concerns surrounding the future of Telegram and TON blockchain. The growing uncertainty has even led to speculative activity in the market.
On August 27, Polymarket, a popular prediction platform, estimated the odds at just 26% for Durov’s release before the end of August. However, following international pressure and support from various entities like TON Society and the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the odds improved to 37%.
Nonetheless, industry leaders, including Siu, remain hopeful about the outcome of this challenge in the future. He believes that as a censorship-resistant platform, TON will continue to grow and play a pivotal role in the evolution of Telegram’s ecosystem.
“In our view, TON will be bigger than Telegram itself in the future and will drive the growth of the Telegram ecosystem. Its security and resilience will be made certain with decentralized technologies, similar to what we see with ETH and BTC. TON represents the future of Telegram’s ecosystem growth and its continued evolution. Community-owned systems are the future, and the compliance measures — such as KYC or AML — will largely sit on the application level, as is currently the case with existing blockchains,” he opined.