Telegram’s CEO and founder, Pavel Durov, is now under formal investigation in France, as part of a probe into organized crime linked to his messaging app, according to officials in Paris.
Pavel Durov, aged 39, has not been placed in custody but is under judicial supervision and required to post a $5.6 million deposit.
A billionaire of Russian origin who also holds French citizenship, Durov must report to a French police station twice a week and is restricted from leaving French territory.
He was initially detained last Saturday upon his arrival at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris, due to a warrant concerning offenses linked to his app.
The Paris prosecutors’ office disclosed on Wednesday that Durov is being investigated for several alleged crimes, including:
– Complicity in the administration of an online platform to enable illicit transactions by an organized gang
– Refusal to communicate with authorities
– Complicity in organized criminal distribution of sexual images of children
In France, being under formal investigation does not imply guilt and does not guarantee a trial but does mean that there is considered to be sufficient evidence to warrant further inquiry.
Durov has not publicly commented on these developments yet. His attorney, David-Olivier Kaminski, asserts that Telegram fully adheres to European digital standards and moderates content as rigorously as other social networks.
Kaminski described the accusations that his client was involved in these criminal activities as “absurd.”
The arrest of a social media platform’s owner for its usage is unprecedented and has sparked intense online debate over free speech and responsibility.
Previously, tech leaders have faced harsh questioning by lawmakers about their operations, but arrests at airports are unusual.
Elon Musk, owner of X, has spoken out in Durov’s defense, critiquing the concept of moderation as a form of censorship and calling for Durov’s release.
Chris Pavlovski, founder of the controversial video-sharing app Rumble, has left Europe following Durov’s detention.
Despite most major social networks cooperating with authorities on serious crimes like child sexual abuse, Telegram has been accused of non-compliance.
Now based in Dubai, the company maintains that it upholds industry-standard moderation practices.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently emphasized France’s commitment to free speech, stating that the detention of Mr. Durov was not politically motivated.
Telegram supports large groups of up to 200,000 members, in contrast to WhatsApp’s limit of just over 1,000 members per group.
Telegram offers encrypted messaging, but it requires manual activation and is not the default setting.
The Paris prosecutors’ office indicated on Monday evening that Mr. Durov is in custody related to a cyber-criminality investigation, to which Telegram responded that Mr. Durov has “nothing to hide.”
Russia has criticized the charges as potentially politically motivated intimidation without substantial evidence.
Telegram, established in 2013, has grown popular in regions like Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and other former Soviet states and claims over 950 million registered users.
A recent BBC report highlighted Telegram’s repeated refusals to participate in international child protection efforts aimed at combating the spread of child abuse material.
Durov, who also founded the well-known Russian social media network VKontakte, left Russia in 2014 after resisting government demands to censor opposition groups on his platform.
He also holds passports from St Kitts and Nevis and the United Arab Emirates.
