Telegram 'should communicate better' with authorities, but don't 'overestimate scale' of criminality

Telegram boss Pavel Durov's lawyer said it was "absurd" to suggest he should be held responsible for any crimes committed on the app, amid growing frictions between governments and tech titans over content on their platforms. France's arrest of Durov has sent a warning to social media bosses unwilling to tackle alleged illegality on their apps. It has also plunged French-Russia relations to fresh lows, according to Moscow, where some pro-Kremlin figures have accused Washington of being behind the detention of Russian-born Durov. A French judge put Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday for suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, child sex abuse images, drug trafficking and fraud. The entrepreneur, who has French and UAE citizenships too, is also suspected of money laundering and providing encrypted messaging to criminals. As French investigation stirs furore in Russia and among far-right politicians, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen is joined by Gregory Asmolov, Lecturer in Digital Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Crisis Communication at King's College London.