Pavel DurovThe Russian-born entrepreneur who based messaging platform Telegram was arrested in France on Saturday as a part of an investigation by French prosecutors into legal actions on the app.
Some Telegram supporters denounced the arrest for instance of presidency censorship. The platform’s development has been fueled partially by its no-nonsense method to content material moderation, making it an essential technique of communication but in addition a haven for dangerous content material.
This is what we learn about Mr. Durov’s arrest and what occurs subsequent.
Pavel Durov was detained on Saturday close to Paris.
Mr Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport, about 5 miles north of the French capital, after touchdown on a non-public jet from Azerbaijan.
He has not been charged, however is at the moment in custody and being questioned by France’s Nationwide Anti-Fraud Workplace, a legislation enforcement company that offers with a variety of monetary crimes.
Below French legislation, Mr. Durov’s detention may very well be prolonged till Wednesday: after that the authorities should cost him or launch him. If he’s charged, prosecutors can ask a decide to maintain him in custody, however he can be launched beneath sure circumstances.
Russia and the United Arab Emirates, the place Telegram relies, have requested consular entry to Mr. Durov. He’s a citizen of each international locations and likewise holds a French passport.
His arrest is a part of a broad investigation into legal exercise at Telegram.
French prosecutors say Mr. Durov was detained in reference to a wide-ranging investigation that began last month in legal exercise on the platform.
Lor Becquot, the Paris prosecutor, mentioned on Monday that the investigation had begun on July 8 “towards an unnamed individual” on a spread of potential costs associated to little one sexual abuse materials, drug trafficking, fraud, cash laundering, complicity in legal transactions and refusal to cooperate with legislation enforcement. The investigation is being led by cybercrime and anti-fraud specialists.
It’s unclear whether or not any of the costs might be introduced towards Mr. Durov. In a statement on Telegram on Sunday, the corporate mentioned “it’s absurd to say {that a} platform or its proprietor is chargeable for the abuse of that platform.”
Telegram’s reputation is because of its straightforward oversight and dedication to free speech.
The messaging platform, which was based in 2013, has greater than 900 million customers and is common in international locations similar to Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia and Ukraine. Telegram’s mild oversight of what customers say or do on the platform has helped folks talk, manage and share information. Nevertheless it additionally turned the app right into a instrument for terrorist organizations, drug sellers and far-right extremist groups.
Telegram works like an ordinary messaging app, like iMessage or WhatsApp, but it surely additionally hosts channels and teams the place a lot of folks can air concepts.
In its assertion, Telegram mentioned it “complies with European Union legal guidelines, together with the Digital Providers Act.” The European Fee mentioned Mr Durov’s arrest in France was unrelated to the act, which requires on-line providers to police their platforms for unlawful content material.
“The arrest was made beneath French legal legislation,” a fee spokesman mentioned on Tuesday. “Legal prosecution shouldn’t be among the many potential sanctions for breaching the DSA”
Mr. Durov’s arrest ignited a debate about free speech on-line.
The arrest of Mr. Durov has caused a firestormmaking him a people hero amongst these involved about free speech and authorities censorship, particularly as controls on on-line content material enhance globally.
Elon Musk, the proprietor of X, and Edward Snowden, the US spy who fled to Russia after leaking categorised data, have been amongst these racing to defend Mr Durov. The hashtag #FreePavel went viral on X.
French President Emmanuel Macron rejected accusations of censorship, saying on Monday that the arrest was “by no means a political choice” and that his nation was “deeply dedicated to freedom of expression”.
Mr. Durov’s pursuit of the institution helped Telegram develop, but it surely additionally put a goal on his again.
Durov, 39, was born in Russia, moved together with his household to northern Italy as a baby and returned to Russia within the early Nineties after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Vkontaktea social networking service he launched in 2006 shortly dominated Russia and attracted the eye of the Kremlin, which demanded details about the platform’s customers.
Mr. Durov mentioned he began creating Telegram as a safer method to talk. he left Russia in 2014 after he misplaced management of Vkontakte and finally retired to Dubai, the place he mentioned the federal government wouldn’t intervene in his enterprise.
Through the years, Telegram has taken down some content material, similar to little one sexual abuse materials or posts particularly geared toward inciting violence. However the authorities have was often frustrated by Mr. Durov’s lack of cooperation.
Telegram faces non permanent or everlasting bans in 31 international locations, in line with Surfshark, a maker of VPN software program used to bypass web blocks.
