• by Colin Kirkland , August 26, 2024

Pavel Durov, the chief executive officer of global social messaging app Telegram, was arrested on Saturday in Paris. The 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire is being held by French authorities in relation to the proliferation of criminal activity on Telegram chats.

The warrant for Durov’s arrest was issued by Ofmin, a law enforcement office in France that is responsible for safeguarding minors from violence. The Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement on Monday that Durov's detainment is in response to a judicial inquiry opened in July involving 12 alleged criminal violations.

The group is accusing the CEO of failing to moderate content related to child pornography and drug trafficking, abetting organized crime transactions and fraud on Telegram, and for refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

Following news of Durov's detention, Russia’s embassy in France said it had “immediately asked the French authorities for clarification of the reasons and demanded to ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access.” The message posted on Telegram said the embassy officials were in contact with Durov’s lawyer.

Since the arrest, French President Emmanuel Macron posted on the social-media platform X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression, but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”

Macron went on to say that Durov's arrest was “in no way a political decision,” and that it is “up to the judges to rule on the matter.”

Unlike Meta’s WhatsApp, Telegram does not implement end-to-end encryption by default for its chats, allowing investigators full access to what the app's 800 million global users are sharing.

Durov’s arrest and the ongoing investigation, therefore, raises concerns over the level of criminal activity taking place on the app, as well as a failure to enforce proper moderation rules to combat such activity.

Durov’s detention can be prolonged until Wednesday evening before authorities must release or charge him, the prosecutor’s office said.

Soon after Durov’s arrest, Telegram posted a statement on its platform saying that it follows EU laws, and that its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving,” adding that “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”