The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France has sparked discussions about social media's responsibility. Telegram is frequently used in the darker side of society and has even been nicknamed "terrorgram".
Durov likes to present himself as a champion of free speech and the right to digital privacy. The criminal charges concern his failure to act to prevent criminal activity on Telegram.
Controlled by a few
Timothy Koskie, a media researcher at the University of Sydney, notes that social media has become powerful and is controlled by a few, and sees the arrest as a step towards governments around the world starting to make demands and pressure the platforms.
The arrest could make representatives of Tiktok, X, and other platforms nervous.
This might be the beginning of authorities being able to go after people who are otherwise hard to reach, says Koskie.
X-owner Elon Musk has demanded that Durov be released, and Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski claims that France has "crossed a line". But after the initial loud protests, Koskie believes that Telegram and the major social media platforms will rather fall in line.
I think we'll see some resistance, but also that it will make some representatives avoid risks, that it will have a chilling effect.
Enormous in the South
Telegram has been pointed out as a forum for criminals, but it is also used, which is perhaps forgotten in the debate, as a regular social medium.
It's enormous. 800 million users use it. It's very important in Russia, and is a huge part of internet use in many countries, says Timothy Koskie.
If you're Swedish, you might know someone who's on Telegram. But in some societies in the global South, everyone uses it. It would really affect those societies if they lost access to Telegram, he says.
Regarding criminals and extremists on Telegram, Koskie guesses that most will sit tight, while the more paranoid might choose other platforms.
Telegram has got that reputation, but it's not the only place where criminal activity takes place. And on services that have better encryption, we know nothing about what's going on.
Telegram was launched in 2013 by brothers Nikolaj and Pavel Durov. It is primarily a messaging service like Whatsapp and Signal, but also has features like a social medium with channels that function like Facebook groups.
Currently, it has, according to its own statement, over 950 million users.
Telegram is used by government representatives in several countries and is a frequently used source of information in Russia's war in Ukraine, by both sides. Not least, accounts belonging to pro-Russian military bloggers have gained enormous spread.
On the platform, there are ordinary users but also opposition figures. Its lack of moderation and encryption options have made it popular among criminals and extremists, and it has been nicknamed "terrorgram".
Denmark's justice minister recently stated that lists with prices for different crimes, including those committed by Swedish teenagers in Denmark, have been published on Telegram.
