TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A semi-official news agency in Iran says authorities have filed charges against the CEO of the popular encrypted messaging app Telegram.
The comments carried by the ISNA news agency represent the latest back-and-forth between the Iranian government and Telegram, which millions of Iranians use.
ISNA’s report Tuesday quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi saying Telegram’s popularity with the Islamic State group, as well as the ease by which child pornographers, human traffickers and drug smugglers use the app, warranted the charges against Telegram’s Russian CEO Pavel Durov.
Durov wrote on Twitter he was surprised by the comments as “we are actively blocking terrorist and pornographic content in Iran. I think the real reasons are different.”
It remains unclear how Iran will prosecute Durov as he lives outside of the country.
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