Telegram chief Pavel Durov arrested over alleged ‘lack of moderation’ on app

PTC News Desk: Telegram Chief Executive Pavel Durov is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday following his arrest by French police at an airport near Paris. The Franco-Russian billionaire, 39, was detained at Le Bourget Airport, located north of the French capital, on Saturday evening, according to sources who spoke to AFP under anonymity. Durov had arrived from Baku, Azerbaijan.

The arrest follows an investigation led by France’s OFMIN, an office dedicated to preventing violence against minors. Durov faces a range of allegations including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and the promotion of terrorism. Authorities accuse him of failing to address the criminal misuse of his messaging platform, Telegram.

“Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” stated one investigator, expressing surprise that Durov travelled to Paris while being a wanted individual.

Telegram, headquartered in Dubai, positions itself as a privacy-focused alternative to U.S.-owned messaging platforms, which have faced criticism for their handling of user data. The app prides itself on never disclosing user information.

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In a rare interview with right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov explained that he conceived the idea for an encrypted messaging service in response to pressure from the Russian government during his tenure at VK, a social network he founded and later sold before leaving Russia in 2014. He also mentioned attempts to relocate to Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco before settling in Dubai, which he praised for its business-friendly environment and neutrality.

Durov claimed during the interview that Telegram had over 900 million active users. The platform’s choice to base itself in the UAE has allowed it to avoid stringent moderation laws prevalent in Western countries, which are increasingly pressuring tech companies to combat illegal content.

Telegram’s large group capacity—up to 200,000 members—has led to criticisms that it facilitates the spread of misinformation and extremist content, including neo-Nazi, paedophilic, conspiratorial, and terrorist material. In contrast, competitor WhatsApp implemented global limits on message forwarding in 2019 after being implicated in the spread of false information in India that resulted in lynchings.

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