Hong Kong tech experts warn against local legal action over Telegram app after French arrest CEO
- Tech expert says arrest an alarm signal, but lawyer insists it is law enforcement’s responsibility to police sites, not platform operators
Their comments came after the arrest of Telegram CEO in France over alleged lax supervision of the platform, which had allowed criminal activity. Pavel Durov was arrested at Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday, and French media reported the investigation involved a lack of moderators on Telegram, which was said to have allowed criminals to operate through the service.
Telegram gained prominence in Hong Kong during the 2019 anti-government protests. It was widely used by protesters to communicate with each other and organise events.
Hong Kong courts have in the past convicted people who used their Telegram channels to rally protesters on charges including incitement to criminal acts and abetting attacks on police officers.
But cybersecurity experts have told the Post that any local legal action would be unlikely to be successful, as concerns about vague rules on content regulation by social media and instant messaging services continued to loom large.
“The 2019 demonstrations are well-behind us now, where the app was reportedly extensively used by anti-government elements in Hong Kong,” Steve Vickers, the CEO of international political and corporate risk consultancy Steve Vickers and Associates, said. “Creating overt waves at this point would be counterproductive.”