Representatives of the messaging platform Telegram have always responded to requests from the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) whenever the agency approached the platform for data relevant to combating terrorism, announced Olivier Christen, the head of the agency, on Wednesday, in an interview with Franceinfo radio station.
Earlier, the Paris prosecutor claimed that Telegram had drawn the attention of investigators due to its lack of response to requests to identify several cybercriminals, particularly in cases involving child pornography. Prior to that, Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov stated that he had long since helped establish a hotline with French authorities to combat terrorism in the country.
“As regards the fight against terrorism, every time we had to approach them (encrypted messengers – ed.), particularly Telegram, to request data that interested us, Telegram responded,” Christen said.
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Durov was detained at Paris’ Le Bourget airport on August 24. The businessman’s detention sparked widespread public criticism in many countries. Durov is suspected of ten administrative offenses and criminal crimes in France, including complicity in administering an online platform for illegal transactions by an organized group, which could lead to up to 10 years in prison.
On the evening of August 28, Durov was released on a €5 million bail. He is prohibited from leaving French territory and is required to report to the police twice a week.
