Who Is Telegram’s Pavel Durov and Why Was He Arrested in France?
Pavel Durov, the Russian-born entrepreneur who founded the Telegram messaging platform, was arrested on Saturday in France, as part of an investigation by French prosecutors into criminal activities on the app.
Some supporters of Telegram have denounced the arrest as an example of government censorship. The platform’s growth has been fueled partly by its hands-off approach to content moderation, making it an important means of communication but also a haven for harmful content.
Here’s what we know about Mr. Durov’s arrest and what happens next.
Pavel Durov was detained on Saturday near Paris.
Mr. Durov was arrested at Le Bourget Airport, about five miles north of the French capital, after landing on a private plane from Azerbaijan.
He has not been charged but is currently in custody and being questioned at France’s National Anti-Fraud Office, a law enforcement agency that handles a wide range of financial crimes.
Under French law, Mr. Durov’s detention can be extended through Wednesday: After that, the authorities must charge or release him. If he is charged, prosecutors could ask a judge to keep him in custody, but he could also be released under certain conditions.
Russia and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based, have requested consular access to Mr. Durov. He is a citizen of both countries and also holds a French passport.
His arrest is part of a broad investigation into criminal activity on Telegram.
French prosecutors say Mr. Durov was detained in connection with a wide-ranging investigation opened last month into criminal activity on the platform.
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said on Monday that the investigation was opened on July 8 “against person unnamed” on a raft of potential charges related to child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, abetting criminal transactions and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement. The investigation is being handled by cybercrime and anti-fraud specialists.
It is unclear whether any of the charges will be held against Mr. Durov. In a statement on Telegram on Sunday, the company said that “it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
Telegram’s popularity has been driven by light oversight and a commitment to free speech.
The messaging platform, which was founded in 2013, has more than 900 million users and is popular in countries like Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine. Telegram’s light oversight of what users say or do on the platform has helped people to communicate, organize and share news. But it has also made the app a tool for terrorist organizations, drug sellers and far-right extremist groups.
Telegram works as a standard messaging app, like iMessage or WhatsApp, but also hosts channels and groups in which very large numbers of people can broadcast ideas.
In its statement, Telegram said it “abides by European Union laws, including the Digital Services Act.” The European Commission said Mr. Durov’s arrest in France was unrelated to the act, which requires online services to police their platforms for illicit content.
“The arrest was conducted under French criminal law,” a spokesperson for the commission said on Tuesday. “Criminal prosecution is not among the potential sanctions for a breach of the D.S.A.”
Mr. Durov’s arrest has stoked a debate about free speech online.
Mr. Durov’s arrest has caused a firestorm, turning him into a folk hero among those concerned about free speech and government censorship, especially as scrutiny of online content has increased globally.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, and Edward Snowden, the American intelligence contractor who fled to Russia after disclosing classified information, were among those who raced to Mr. Durov’s defense. The hashtag #FreePavel spread on X.
President Emmanuel Macron of France has dismissed accusations of censorship, saying on Monday that the arrest was “in no way a political decision” and that his country was “deeply committed to freedom of expression.”
Mr. Durov’s anti-establishment streak helped Telegram grow, but it also put a target on his back.
Mr. Durov, 39, was born in Russia, moved with his family to northern Italy as a child and returned to Russia in the early 1990s after the Soviet Union collapsed. Vkontakte, a social networking service he started in 2006, quickly dominated Russia and attracted notice from the Kremlin, which demanded information about the platform’s users.
Mr. Durov said he had begun building Telegram as a safer way to communicate. He left Russia in 2014 after he lost control of Vkontakte and eventually decamped to Dubai, where he said the government would not interfere with his business.
Over the years, Telegram has taken down some content, such as child sexual abuse material or posts explicitly aimed at inciting violence. But the authorities have often been frustrated by Mr. Durov’s lack of cooperation.
Telegram has faced temporary or permanent bans in 31 countries, according to Surfshark, a maker of VPN software used to avoid internet blocks.
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