Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been arrested in France over a probe into child porn and drug trafficking on the app.
Takeaway Points
- Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been arrested in France over a probe into child porn and drug trafficking on the app.
- French President Emmanuel Macron, in a post on X, confirmed Durov’s arrest and said there was no political motive in the arrest, despite many false comments online.
- Telegram said that they abide by EU laws and that their CEO has nothing to hide.
Why was Pavel Durov arrested?
Pavel Durov, the Russian-born founder of messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France as part of an investigation into crimes related to child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraudulent transactions on the platform, French prosecutors said on Monday, according to Reuters.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a post on X confirmed Durov’s arrest since he was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, said there was no political motive in the arrest, despite many false comments online. He added that France remains deeply committed to lawful free speech.
“I have seen false information regarding France following the arrest of Pavel Durov. France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so. In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law. The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter,” Macron said.
According to the report, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Durov was arrested as part of a probe into an unnamed person launched by the office’s cybercrime unit on July 8.
The investigation is over suspected complicity in various crimes, including running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, child pornography, drug trafficking, and fraud, as well as the refusal to communicate information to authorities, money laundering, and providing cryptographic services to criminals, the statement said.
Reuters said that Durov can be held until Wednesday, but that it was unable to reach any lawyer representing Durov.
Telegram said that they abide by EU laws and that their CEO has nothing to hide.
“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. 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. Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.” Telegram said.
On March 13, 2024, Pavel posted on his channel explaining that “All large social media apps are easy targets for criticism due to the content they host. I can’t recall any major social platform whose moderation has been consistently praised by traditional media.The media coverage of Meta’s moderation efforts has been particularly negative for most of its history. Interestingly enough, Meta was also the first social media company to have reached a trillion-dollar-plus valuation. Telegram will likely have to go through similar growth stages before it surpasses legacy platforms. As we rapidly rise in scale and significance, we shall solve any potential challenges the same way we do everything else — with efficiency, innovation and respect for privacy and freedom of speech.”
