Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, was reportedly detained by French authorities on Saturday afternoon.
According to Reuters, citing French media TF1 TV and BFM TV, Durov was arrested when he arrived on a private jet at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris. The tech entrepreneur was allegedly targeted by an arrest warrant as part of an initial police investigation.
Newsweek contacted the French Interior Ministry and Telegram via an online form on Saturday for comment.
The investigation was reportedly about Telegram’s lack of content moderation. French authorities claim this flaw has the potential to allow criminal activity to flourish unchecked on the popular messaging platform, which has more than 900 million active users worldwide and is known for its encryption and strong commitment to user privacy.
The application is very influential in Russia and Ukraine, as well as one of the main social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. These features have made Telegram popular among people looking for a secure channel of communication, including activists, journalists, and dissidents in authoritarian countries.
However, these same attributes have drawn criticism from governments and law enforcement agencies, who argue that the platform can be exploited by criminal elements.
Durov’s journey to becoming one of the most influential figures in the tech industry has been exciting and controversial. Born in Russia, he first became famous as the founder of VK, often referred to as the “Facebook of Russia.”
However, his refusal to comply with demands to close the opposition community on the platform led to his departure from Russia in 2014. Durov currently lives in Dubai and holds dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France.
Clashes with authorities over issues of free speech and privacy have been a recurring theme in Durov’s career.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson in April of this year, Durov talked about his experience of government pressure, not only from Russia, but also from the United States.
The tech’s founder says the US government is trying to create a “backdoor” into Telegram, which has the potential to spy on users. According to Durov, FBI agents approached one of the engineers in an attempt to persuade him to integrate certain open source tools into Telegram code that could serve as a backdoor.
Durov’s accusations against the US government go beyond the alleged backdoor attempt. He recounted incidents of FBI agents greeting him at the airport and even showing up at his rented house at breakfast. While Durov acknowledged that the agent was “doing his job,” he expressed discomfort with the level of attention Telegram was receiving from US authorities.
The tech CEO also claimed to have received conflicting letters from members of Congress following the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol. One letter reportedly asked for the data of Telegram users allegedly involved in the riots, while another warned them not to share the data. Durov stated that Telegram chose to ignore the request due to the complexities of internal US politics.
The timing of the incident is critical, at a time when many countries are struggling with how to regulate social media and messaging platforms.
The European Union (EU), for example, recently adopted the Digital Services Act, which imposes new obligations on large technology companies to monitor illegal content on their platforms. France, as a key member of the European Union, has taken the lead in efforts to hold tech companies accountable for the content they share on their platforms.
As news of Durov’s reported arrest spreads, Telegram users around the world are watching closely to see how this situation unfolds. The platform has become an important communication tool for many, and any disruption in its operation can have far-reaching consequences.
