Telegram Coverage by Le Monde

1. Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Arrested Upon Arrival in France 25 Aug 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: YES. "Telegram complies with European laws, including the Digital Services Regulation, and its moderation practices are industry standard," the Dubai-based company said on its own channel. "Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently to Europe ," Telegram added. "It is absurd to say that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuses" reported on the platform.

2. The arrest in France of Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, a world first 25 Aug 2024

Author: Damien Leloup, Benjamin Quenelle

Asked for comment: YES

Includes Telegram's position: INCOMPLETE. Telegram assured that it was "applying European laws" and that its CEO had "nothing to hide." "We expect a rapid resolution of the situation," the company wrote.

3. After Pavel Durov's arrest, panic breaks out in Russian pro-war Telegram channels 25 Aug 2024

Author: Benjamin Quenelle

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Article doesn't mention that Telegram is a neutral platform used equally in Russia and Ukraine.

4. Pavel Durov, self-proclaimed libertarian and “Robin Hood” of the Russian Web 25 Aug 2024

Author: Benjamin Quenelle

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. No mention that French charges are denied.

5. Telegram Affair: A Test for the European Union 26 Aug 2024

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

6. The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is “not a political decision at all,” says Emmanuel Macron 26 Aug 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

7. Telegram, an application like no other that has largely escaped regulators 26 Aug 2024

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Telegram has always abided by EU law, including the Digital Services Act.

8. Pavel Durov Erected as a Champion of Freedom of Expression on Telegram, a Refuge for Conspiracy Circles 27 Aug 2024

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Telegram does not use algorithms like those on other platforms to spread conspiracy content.

9. After Pavel Durov's arrest, Russian pro-war channels are in turmoil 27 Aug 2024

Author: Benjamin Quenelle

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

10. What Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is suspected of by the French justice system, and what he risks 27 Aug 2024

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

11. Pavel Durov arrested: UAE seeks consular access for Telegram boss, Kremlin warns against 'intimidation' 27 Aug 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: YES. "His company has denied the accusations." "Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently to Europe," Telegram said on its own channel on Sunday evening. "It is absurd to say that a platform or its owner are responsible for the abuses" reported on the platform, the company added.

12. Pavel Durov, Telegram CEO Arrested in France, Met Emmanuel Macron Several Times Before Obtaining French Citizenship 28 Aug 2024

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: YES

13. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov indicted and released under judicial supervision with ban on leaving French territory 28 Aug 2024

Author: Laura Moter, Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: YES. David-Olivier Kaminski, stated that it was "totally absurd to think that the head of a social network could be involved in criminal acts that do not concern him, either directly or indirectly." "Telegram complies in all respects with European digital regulations, it's moderating content in the same standards as other social networks."

14. "Let Pavel Durov's fate not be used as a Trojan horse that would legitimize pressure on other developers whose situation is not comparable." 29 Aug 2024

Author: Ivan Kwiatkowski

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. This opinion column includes verifiable false claims about Telegram's encryption.

15. Pavel Durov case: how Telegram allowed child sex abuse content to flourish 29 Aug 2024

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Telegram has always combatted child abuse materials, including by processing tens of thousands of reports from NGOs.

16. Pavel Durov case: Telegram CEO asked to have Xavier Niel notified of his police custody 29 Aug 2024

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

17. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is also the subject of a complaint in Switzerland for violence against one of his children 29 Aug 2024

Author: Laura Moter

Asked for comment: YES

The described incidents never occurred and the accusations lack substance.

18. Emmanuel Macron "fully assumes" the granting of French nationality to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov 29 Aug 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

19. What is Telegram CEO Pavel Durov accused of? Understand in three minutes 30 Aug 2024

Author: Alexis Tromas, Pia Vidal

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

20. In Paris, the trial of two defendants illustrates the petty cybercrime that is rife on Telegram 30 Aug 2024

Author: Gabriel Trierry

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Telegram has more than a billion users worldwide. Unfortunately, some criminal activity exists on every platform, just as it exists in every city despite active policing.

21. In South Korea, youth are victims and executioners of pornographic deepfakes 30 Aug 2024

Author: Quentin Le Van

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Deepfake pornography is removed whenever discovered. Telegram established a hotline with Korean authorities for reporting it.

22. Pavel Durov's Arrest in France: The Story of a Resounding Week 1 Sep 2024

Author: Damien Leloup, Nicolas Six, Aurelien Defer

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. The summary covers every detail and quotes all sides — except Pavel Durov and Telegram. It doesn’t mention Telegram’s earlier statement to Le Monde, its public statement, or Pavel Durov's lawyer’s comments after his release.

23. Social media regulation: between the hammer of criminal justice and the anvil of the EU 1 Sep 2024

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: INCOMPLETE. Only one mention: "The company claims to be complying with the DSA's obligations, but..."

24. South Korea opens investigation into Telegram for spreading pornographic deepfakes involving minors 2 Sep 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

25. Telegram removes pornographic content in South Korea following request from authorities 3 Sep 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: INCOMPLETE. "Telegram assured Agence France-Presse on Monday that it was 'actively monitoring harmful content on its platform, including illegal pornography.'"

26. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov calls indictment 'surprising' and 'wrong' 6 Sep 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: YES

27. How Telegram Became the Miracle Court of Ordinary Crime 7 Sep 2024

Author: Damien Leloup, Florian Reynaud

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: INCOMPLETE. Telegram removes millions of pieces of harmful content each day. Its moderation meets or exceeds all industry standards.

28. Near Nantes, a high school student arrested for death threats on Telegram against a teacher 13 Sep 2024

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

29. After the arrest of Pavel Durov, Telegram's surge of cooperation with the justice system in France and Belgium 13 Sep 2024

Author: Damien Leloup, Laura Motet, Florian Reynaud

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: INCOMPLETE. "Some time ago, when asked, I personally helped [the French authorities] set up a hotline with Telegram to deal with the terrorist threat in France." Doesn't include information that cooperation is not new. Telegram has always processed all legally binding requests in the EU.

30. Ukraine restricts use of Telegram by its military and officials for security reasons 20 Sep 2024

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Such restrictions are based on misinformation. Telegram is and always has been safe for Ukrainians and users around the world.

31. In Paris, a trial linked to trafficking of child pornography images on Telegram 23 Sep 2024

Author: Lorraine de Foucher, Samuel Laurent

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

32. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Announces Tighter Moderation 23 Sep 2024

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: INCOMPLETE. Includes a wrongful interpretation of Telegram's official statement about cooperation.

33. The discreet fortune of multi-billionaire Pavel Durov 25 Sep 2024

Author: Damien Leloup, Laura Motet

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

34. Children's Foundation files civil suit in Telegram case 25 Sep 2024

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

35. Telegram users recruited for pro-Russian sabotage acts in Europe 26 Sep 2024

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

36. Elon Musk, Pavel Durov and the “Little Judges” 10 Oct 2024

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: INCOMPLETE. Deliberately doesn't mention Pavel's clarifications to his post of September 23 which were posted on October 2.

37. Telegram, the application at the heart of the Islamic State organization's slave trade 11 Oct 2024

Author: Sofia Amara

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. The article, despite covering events from 2016, used the present tense and left out that the groups were removed years ago and systematically banned along with other terror-related material. The journalist didn’t reach out for comments and ignored all follow-up attempts to correct it.

38. The New Era of Hacktivism 12 Oct 2024

Author: Florian Reynaud

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO

39. On Telegram, Russian messengers of war 18 Oct 2024

Author: Isabell Mandraud

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. The article fails to mention that Telegram is a neutral platform that is used in similar ways by all sides of the conflict.

40. Telegram joins program to combat child sexual abuse content 4 Dec 2024

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Doesn't mention Telegram's extensive tools that have been in use since 2018 and ignored corrections.

41. Telegram gave more user data to French authorities after founder's arrest 8 Jan 2025

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. The reason for responding to more requests is that French authorities started sending them using the DSA-mandated channels – so Telegram was able to receive and process the requests.

42. Telegram founder Pavel Durov leaves France with court permission "for several weeks" 15 Mar 2025

Author: AFP

Asked for comment: YES

43. Telegram shuts down one of the main platforms used by online mafia groups 16 May 2025

Author: Le Monde

Asked for comment: NO

Includes Telegram's position: NO. Telegram removes millions of accounts and communities and publishes live statistics at telegram.org/moderation.

44. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov accuses France of seeking to "censor conservative voices" in Romania 18 May 2025

Author: Damien Leloup

Asked for comment: YES

45. What is Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram who accuses France of interference in Romania, up to? 22 May 2025

Author: Damien Leloup