3 months ago
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Telegram’s cofounder Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday night, after arriving at an airport several miles north of Paris in a private jet, according to French news outlets BFMTV and TF1. Both outlets report that the billionaire CEO was the subject of a French search warrant over the app’s lack of moderators, and its alleged use in drug trafficking, money laundering, and the distribution of child abuse material.
So far, neither French authorities nor Durov have put out statements on the arrest. However, Telegram commented on X, formerly Twitter, that “Durov has nothing to hide,” and Russian officials condemned the detainment as an attack on free speech. X owner Elon Musk also posted about moderation and free speech following the reports.
A post on Telegram’s X account said the company “abides by EU laws” and its moderation efforts are “within industry standards.” The post continued, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
The company added that it is “awaiting a prompt resolution.”
Durov was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and is a naturalized citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates. Before Telegram, the tech executive cofounded VKontakte, Russia’s answer to Facebook. Durov reportedly sold his stake in VKontakte and left Russia over state censorship demands. Telegram is currently headquartered in Dubai.
In July, Durov said he was a sperm donor, had “over 100 biological kids,” and announced a plan to “open-source [his] DNA.”
Telegram has reportedly censored some content in the past, including Hamas channels and “public calls for violence” following the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Yet, governments frequently clash with Telegram over its stance on content moderation and use in protests. Russia attempted to ban Telegram after the firm refused to hand over encryption keys in 2018. A year later, Durov claimed China launched cyber attacks against the service to suppress protests in Hong Kong. Cuba blocked the app in 2021 amid protests over the government’s response to Covid-19, and two years later, a Spanish court briefly blocked Telegram access following copyright complaints from local media groups.
