French authorities handed Telegram CEO Pavel Durov preliminary charges Wednesday for allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app, and barred him from leaving France pending further investigation. Durov was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a sweeping judicial inquiry opened last month, and released earlier Wednesday after four days of questioning. Investigative judges filed the preliminary charges Wednsday night and ordered him to pay 5 million euros bail and to report to a police station twice a week. Allegations against the Russia-born Durov, who is a French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law. Durov's arrest in France has caused outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and proof of the West's double standard on freedom of speech.
In 2021, Twitter executives in India faced arrest over posts that the government wanted removed from the site
Over more than a decade, the founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram has amassed various different citizenships, something that's only added to the mystery surrounding his detention in France. Those passports provided Pavel Durov protection after he created and ran Telegram as a self-proclaimed free-speech absolutist. The app has been used by some to plan protests in repressive governments like in Iran and his native Russia. However, Western governments allege Telegram aided the work of drug traffickers, money launderers, militant groups and child pornographers. "To be truly free, you should be ready to risk everything for freedom," Durov once wrote on Instagram, interspersed between images of himself shirtless with the skyscrapers of Dubai or the ruins of Mada'in Saleh in Saudi Arabia behind him. That risk now appears to have caught up with him, despite passports from Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, and his wealth, estimated by Forbes to b
France's arrest last weekend of Telegram's billionaire founder Pavel Durov, who fled Russia for Dubai a decade ago, has been almost universally condemned in his native country
Under local laws, Durov's detention can't last beyond 8 p.m. Paris time - a total of 96 hours of police questioning
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Durov said he had begun building Telegram to be a more secure way to communicate after Russian security forces showed up at his apartment around 2011
Macron denies Russian charge of political motives
Investigation against Telegram is being conducted by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
"On the eve of the U.S. presidential election, it is important for (President Joe) Biden to take Telegram under control."
France and Telegram are the latest examples of governments and tech companies clashing over online content regulation
The case may have far-reaching international implications, not just for Telegram but for other global technology giants as well
His decision to repeatedly ignore requests from governments to better moderate content on his platform reached a tipping point this weekend, when he was detained in France
Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, was arrested in Paris over the weekend over allegations that his platform is being used for illicit activity such as drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images. Durov, who was born in Russia, spent much of his childhood in Italy and is a citizen of France, Russia, the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis and the United Arab Emirates. He was taken into custody at Paris-Le Bourget Airport in France on Saturday after landing from Azerbaijan. In a statement posted to its platform, Telegram said it abides by EU laws and its content moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. Durov, the company added, has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. Here are some details on Telegram, the app at the center of Durov's arrest. WHAT IS TELEGRAM? Telegram is an app that allows for one-on-one conversations, group chats and large channels that let people broadcas
In light of Telegram Chief Pavel Durov's arrest in Paris for offences related to his messaging app, IT Ministry has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs for an update on where things stand in the Indian context and if there are any violations here as well, sources said. An email query sent to IT Ministry on the issue, elicited no immediate reply. Sources, meanwhile, said, "In light of what has happened in France, IT Ministry has asked Ministry of Home Affairs to check on complaints pending against Telegram and what action can be taken." They pointed out that IT Ministry is not an investigating agency in this regard, and that even CERT-In under the Ministry focuses on cybersecurity offences not cybercrimes per se. "The basic question here is are there any complaints, is there similar situation in India, and what is the status, and what action is required," according to sources. Asked if Telegram, being a messaging app, can cite safe harbour clause, sources said in that case they will
The 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire was stopped on Saturday at Le Bourget airport north of Paris, according to a statement from Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau
The 39-year-old billionaire is suspected of failing to take steps to prevent criminal use of Telegram, AFP said, adding he's expected to appear in court on Sunday
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest in France of the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, wasn't a political move but part of an independent investigation. In France's first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on the social media platform X that his country is deeply committed to freedom of expression but freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. He said the arrest is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter. French media reported that Durov was detained at a Paris airport on Saturday on an arrest warrant alleging his platform has been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses.
Durov, who has dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship, was arrested as part of a preliminary police investigation into allegedly allowing wide range of crimes to be committed using Telegram
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested on August 24. Watch the video to know the details.