Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested by French police at Le Bourget Airport near Paris. Reports say Durov, 39, was detained after landing in his private jet. He faces charges related to the messaging app’s lack of moderation. Authorities accuse Durov of not taking enough action to prevent criminal use of Telegram, which includes issues like drug trafficking, child sexual content, and fraud. Telegram has denied claims of poor moderation in the past.
Born in Russia, Durov now resides in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered. He holds dual citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and France. Telegram is widely used in Russia, Ukraine, and former Soviet Union countries. Russia banned the app in 2018 after Durov refused to share user data but lifted the ban in 2021.
Durov created Telegram in 2013 and left Russia in 2014 after declining to shut down opposition groups on VKontakte, a social media platform he founded and later sold. The Russian Embassy in France announced on Facebook that it is working to understand the reasons for Durov’s detention and to secure his rights and consular access. The embassy also mentioned that French authorities have been uncooperative.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Western human rights organizations for staying silent on Durov’s arrest. Several Russian officials condemned the arrest, calling it a sign of Western double standards on free speech and democracy.
Edward Snowden, who lives in Russia, described Durov’s arrest on X as “an assault on basic human rights.” Elon Musk, who also faces criticism over moderation on his platform X, voiced support for Durov, using the hashtag #freepavel and suggesting that freedom of speech in Europe is under threat.
Telegram has been criticized for its weak moderation, allowing harmful content to spread more quickly than on other platforms. In the UK, Telegram faced scrutiny for hosting far-right channels that played a role in recent violent incidents in English cities. Although Telegram removed some groups. Experts believe the app’s content moderation remains much less strict than other social media and messaging apps.
