French authorities have detained the Russian-French billionaire and the founder of Telegram messaging app, Pavel Durov, Saturday evening at Bourget airport outside Paris.
The Telegram CEO was travelling from Azerbaijan aboard his private jet. He was the target of an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation, reported Reuters citing TF1 TV and BFM TV.
The investigation is related to the lack of moderation on Telegram which allowed criminal activity to go undeterred on the app, including money laundering, drug trafficking and sharing pedophilic content. Durov could face indictment on Sunday.
Telegram Popularity
Telegram is one of the most influential social media platforms in Russia and Ukraine, as well as former Soviet Union republics. Its popularity has significantly increased after the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, as it has become a key source of unfiltered information about the conflict from both sides.
With around one billion users, the encrypted messaging app is one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat.
The Russian-born Durov founded Telegram with his brother in 2013, but he left Russia in 2014 after rejecting government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VK social media platform, which he sold. Moreover, Russia started blocking the app in 2018 after it refused to abide by a court order to allow security services to access users’ encrypted messages.
After the arrest reports, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that its embassy in France was taking immediate steps to clarify Durov’s situation and called Western non-governmental organizations to demand his release.
Increasing Concerns
The soaring popularity of Telegram has raised concerns in several European countries, including France, over security and data breach. The detention of Durov, who has a fortune estimated at $15.5bn, has prompted Russia’s representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, and several other Russian politicians to accuse France of acting as a dictatorship.
In response to the reports of the arrest, many Russian bloggers have called for protests at French embassies worldwide on Sunday noon.
France just arrested Pavel Durov, founder & CEO of the encrypted, uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) August 25, 2024
The arrest of Durov has also drawn criticism from popular figures, such as the X billionaire owner Elon Musk who wrote: “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”
In addition, Robert F. Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr.), who has just suspended his US presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, wrote on X that the need to protect speech “has never been more urgent.”
