Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested by French Authorities at Airport
Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested by French police at Le Bourget Airport, located just north of Paris, after his private jet landed. According to reports from French media, the 39-year-old billionaire was taken into custody under a warrant related to the operations of his popular messaging platform, Telegram.
The arrest is reportedly part of an investigation focusing on Telegram’s moderation practices, or the lack thereof. Durov faces accusations of failing to adequately prevent the app from being used for illegal activities, including drug trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and fraud. Telegram has previously denied these allegations, insisting it does not lack moderation.
Durov, who was born in Russia but currently resides in Dubai, holds dual citizenship with the United Arab Emirates and France. Telegram is widely used across Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet states. In 2018, Russia banned the app after Durov refused to provide user data to authorities, though the ban was lifted in 2021.
Founded by Durov in 2013, Telegram has since grown to be a significant player in the social media landscape, alongside giants like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. Durov’s departure from Russia in 2014 followed a conflict with the government over his refusal to shut down opposition groups on his earlier social media platform, VKontakte, which he eventually sold.
In response to Durov’s arrest, the Russian Embassy in France has demanded explanations from French authorities and requested consular access to him. In a Facebook post, the embassy stated: “Following the media reports about the detention of P. Durov, the French authorities were immediately requested to clarify the reasons for the detention and to provide for the protection of Mr Durov’s rights and facilitate consular access. As of today, the French authorities are, at the present time, not cooperating on this issue. We are in contact with P. Durov’s lawyer.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, took to Telegram to question whether Western human rights organizations would ignore Durov’s arrest, pointing out their previous criticisms of Russia’s restrictions on Telegram in 2018. Russian officials have also criticized the arrest, claiming it demonstrates double standards in the West regarding free speech and democracy.
Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), who has faced his own challenges over content moderation on his platform, also weighed in on the situation. Using the hashtag #freepavel, Musk shared several posts, including one that read: “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”
Critics of Telegram have long argued that the app’s allowance for groups of up to 200,000 members facilitates the rapid spread of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and illegal content, including neo-Nazi, paedophilic, and terror-related material. In the UK, Telegram recently came under scrutiny for hosting far-right channels that played a role in organizing violent unrest in English cities earlier this month. While some groups were removed, cybersecurity experts note that Telegram’s moderation system remains significantly weaker than those of other major social media and messaging platforms.
