Pavel Durov, the CEO of messaging app Telegram, has been arrested in France as part of a cyber-crime investigation. The Paris prosecutor’s office stated that Mr. Durov is being held in custody for offenses related to illicit transactions, child pornography, fraud, and the refusal to disclose information to authorities.
Pavel Durov, 39, is a multi-billionaire originally from Russia who founded the popular Russian social media company VKontakte. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform. Durov founded Telegram in 2013 and currently runs the firm from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Telegram is one of the world’s largest social media and messaging platforms, with 950 million monthly active users. It is popular in Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and Hong Kong, known for its encryption features and the ability to have large group sizes of up to 200,000 users.
Following Durov’s arrest, prominent figures like Elon Musk and Edward Snowden have expressed support for him, with Snowden calling it an assault on basic human rights of speech and association. Russian politician Vyacheslav Volodin accused the US of being behind the arrest, while French President Macron clarified that it was not a political decision but up to the judges to decide.
The arrest of Pavel Durov has sparked international attention and debate on the implications for freedom of speech and online privacy. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
