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🚨 Two years ago, I was detained in Paris by police for 3 days — the longest they can hold someone before charging them. In an unprecedented move, French authorities accused the head of a major platform of crimes committed by its users. That investigation is still ongoing, although it makes less sense with each passing year. Why? Because we now have extensive evidence that Telegram was neither worse than other popular platforms at moderation, nor the worst at cooperating with authorities. So why was Telegram singled out? Over the last two years, we have seen a pattern emerge in multiple countries: Telegram is quietly asked to grant political favors — such as illegal censorship or surveillance. When we refuse, local media and “non-governmental” organizations launch orchestrated campaigns portraying Telegram as a cesspool of crime, from child pornography to terrorism. Our moderation is no worse than that of other major platforms. Yet these campaigns instill the idea that Telegram should be persecuted or restricted. Suddenly, officials start caring about crime and protecting children — but only on platforms that reject their secret political demands. Platforms that accept such deals get away with almost anything — including literally selling ads promoting child pornography. Is the French investigation against me political? It certainly fits the pattern we see elsewhere, mostly in authoritarian countries. And it definitely raises questions. In time, this investigation may itself be investigated — especially now that Macron’s war against free speech is facing pushback. This month, France’s Constitutional Council struck down his social media ban for children under 15 on freedom-of-expression grounds. In the end, freedom and truth will prevail ✊

Telegram has applied for the .gram domain zone. If the application is approved by ICANN, a billion Telegram users could get their own second-level domains — yourname.gram. Users would be able to set up their interactive websites hosted by Telegram — with one prompt ✨

🔥 This summer, Telegram users will gain access to the best AI technology on the market. @elonmusk and I have agreed to a 1-year partnership to bring xAI’s @grok to our billion+ users and integrate it across all Telegram apps 🤝 💪 This also strengthens Telegram’s financial position: we will receive $300M in cash and equity from xAI, plus 50% of the revenue from xAI subscriptions sold via Telegram 💰 Together, we win ❤️📈🏆

Telegram is now profitable 🏆 📈 This year, the number of Telegram Premium subscribers tripled, exceeding 12 million. Our ad revenue also increased a few times. Telegram's total revenue in 2024 surpassed $1 billion, and we are closing the year with more than $500 million in cash reserves, not including crypto assets 🪙 🏦 Over the past four years, Telegram has issued about $2 billion in debt. We repaid a meaningful share of it this Fall, taking advantage of favorable prices for the Telegram bonds. But there’s a lot of work ahead 👨‍💻 🔬 Our innovations in monetization this year (⭐️Stars, 🎁 Gifts, 🪙Giveaways, 🖥 Mini Apps, 🤝the Affiliate Platform, 💼Telegram Business, and 📥Telegram Gateway) demonstrate that social media platforms can achieve financial sustainability while staying independent and respecting users' rights 💪

Telegram's update has been stuck in Apple's "review" for two weeks, without any word from the App Store. If Telegram, one of the top 10 most popular apps globally, gets this treatment from Apple, imagine the difficulties faced by smaller app developers. t.me/durov/190 – at Milan, Lombardy

Today I outlined the monetization strategy of Telegram. It will allow us to remain independent and stay true to our values for decades to come – t.me/durov/142

Exactly 7 years ago Telegram started as an iPhone app. Today we are launching encrypted Video Calls – first on Android due to reasons explained below. Unlike 2013, 2020 is a year when most mobile apps (including Telegram) are best used on an Android phone. telegram.org/blog/video-call…

Apple stopped approving Telegram for iOS updates globally 1,5 months ago after Russia ordered a block on Telegram. More here – t.me/durov/87 – at Helsinki, Finland

Privacy is not for sale, and human rights should not be compromised out of fear or greed. t.me/durov/76 – at Paris, France

This week, over 700,000 new users are signing up for Telegram each day. The annual user growth of Telegram surpassed 70% YoY in most markets. I used the 200M opportunity last week to write about what Telegram stands for. telegram.org/blog/200-millio… – at Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Threats to block Telegram unless it gives up private data of its users won't bear fruit. Telegram will stand for freedom and privacy. – at Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Telegram is back in the AppStore after being absent there since midnight CET. Every day 500,000+ users download Telegram for Android and another ~100,000 download Telegram for iOS. Check out yesterday’s update for both platforms: telegram.org/blog/telegram-x – at Zurich, Switzerland

Some politicians tend to blame tools for actions one can perform with these tools. telegra.ph/dont-shoot-the-me… – at Davos, Switzerland

Attention: Telegram publishes its official announcements only at telegram.org. Everything else is most likely scam.

Telegram will stand for freedom and privacy; charges against us coming from specific countries won't change a thing. telegra.ph/Why-Charges-Again… – at Finland

Russia's FSB joins Iran in bringing charges against the Telegram management. Details: t.me/durov/61 Docs: vk.com/wall1_2013203

The CIA didn't break Telegram encryption. They hacked iOS and Android. Naming any particular app here is misleading. telegra.ph/Wikileaks-Vault7-…

I'm turning 100000 years old today. In binary. – at Perugia, Umbria