08/26/2024

Durov’s Arrest Leaves Telegram Hanging in the Balance

His leadership is accused of failing to moderate illegal content on the app

At around 8 p.m. on Saturday evening in France, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested as he exited his private jet at Le Bourget Airport, outside Paris. He was flying in from Azerbaijan. According to TF1Info, the French outlet that first broke the news of his arrest, Durov was accompanied by a bodyguard and a woman. As best as anyone can tell, he spent the night in a French jail cell.

Durov’s unexpected detainment came after an arrest warrant was issued by OFMIN, a new law enforcement office that began operations in November and is tasked with preventing violence against minors. Durov’s arrest is reportedly part of a preliminary investigation into a startling array of alleged offenses—drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and the promotion of terrorism—deemed to have been permitted on Telegram, which Durov claimed in July has 950 million users.

Investigators speaking to French media were unsure why Durov risked landing in the country given that he was on France’s wanted persons list. According to an unnamed police source who spoke to Reuters, investigators saw Durov’s name on a passenger list ahead of his private jet’s arrival.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WIRED.