Telegram top executive arrested in France

Pavel Durov possible being held over messaging app's role in facilitating crime

Life

Pavel Doerov, Telegram

The Russian CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov has been arrested in France, reports TV channel TF1. This happened shortly after Durov landed on his private plane at Le Bourget airport near Paris.

However, the 39-year-old Russian was on a French wanted list. Presumably the reason for the arrest is Telegram’s refusal to pass on information to authorities. According to French prosecutors, this makes him complicit in drug trafficking, fraud, terrorism and money laundering, among other things. One of the TV station’s sources stated that Doerov had numerous offenses and crimes committed on Telegram.

Telegram was founded in 2013 by Russian brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov, who are also the founders of VK, the Russian version of Facebook.

“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving,” read a statement from the social network issued in response to the arrest. “Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”

Telegram said roughly 1 billion people use Telegram daily as a source of information.

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