Who is Pavel Durov? Telegram co-founder arrested in France

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

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Who is Pavel Durov? Telegram co-founder arrested in France

Pavel Durov, a Russian-born tech mogul who co-founded the popular messaging platform Telegram, was arrested in France over the weekend for alleged crimes related to the messaging app.

Durov's arrest is said to be due to allegations that his platform was used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
Durov's detention is also reportedly linked to a lack of cooperation with police during investigations into alleged criminal activity on Telegram.
News of Durov's arrest sparked an outcry among the most vocal advocates of free speech on the internet, including Elon Musk.

Pavel Durov, a Russian-born tech mogul who co-founded the popular social media platform Telegram, was arrested over the weekend in France, French press reported Sunday.

Durov's arrest is linked to alleged crimes involving the moderation of Telegram, a popular app in Russia and Ukraine, as well as a lack of cooperation with police, French media outlets reported. Durov, the CEO of the messaging service, was reportedly arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris, where he was arriving on his private jet from Azerbaijan, according to French media outlets.

His arrest is reportedly due to allegations that his platform was used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other criminal activities – all of which he is accused of enabling through his hands-off content moderation policy.

Here's what you need to know about Durov and the messaging app he founded in 2013.

Who is Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram?

Durov, a 39-year-old Russian billionaire, rose to fame in 2006 when he founded the social network VKontakte (VK) – often called the Russian version of Facebook.

In 2013, Durov and his brother Nikolai worked together to launch Telegram. A year later, he fled Russia after refusing to hand over encrypted VK user data to Russian authorities. Now a French and Emirati citizen, Durov runs Telegram, a hugely popular messaging platform with an estimated hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

His net worth is now estimated by Forbes to be around $15.5 billion, making him the 121st richest person in the world.

Durov took part in an interview with American commentator Tucker Carlson earlier this year, during which he described freedom of speech as one of his greatest values as a businessman.

Durov is also active on Instagram, where he often posts shirtless photos of himself showing off his muscular physique.

What you need to know about Durov's arrest

Durov was arrested and detained on Saturday after the French OFMIN, responsible for the protection of minors against violence, issued an arrest warrant.

The agency accused Durov of failing to crack down on criminal activities – including drug trafficking, promotion of terrorism and fraud – taking place on his platform, the AFP news agency reported.

French newspaper Le Monde reported that authorities detained Durov as part of a preliminary investigation into whether he also refused to cooperate with law enforcement in investigations into child pornography, cyber fraud, organized crime and other alleged illegal activities on Telegram.

The businessman was arrested by French police on Monday, Reuters reported, citing local news channel franceinfo. French authorities have not yet confirmed Mr Durov's arrest.

A police source told Reuters that Durov was arrested at a private airport near Paris. The investigation is being led by the cybersecurity gendarmerie and the national anti-fraud police.

Telegram said Sunday that the company complies with European Union laws and maintains content moderation practices aligned with “industry standards.”

“Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and frequently travels to Europe,” Telegram said in its statement. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuses of this platform.”

The Russian Embassy in France posted a statement on the social media platform X, saying it had asked French authorities for an explanation of Durov's arrest and requested that his rights be protected and consular access be granted.

Elon Musk and other free speech advocates challenge Durov's arrest

News of Durov's arrest sparked an outcry among the most vocal advocates of free speech on the internet, including Elon Musk.

Elon Musk, who has also made content moderation his trademark since taking over as CEO of X, posted “#FreePavel” on his account. In another post, he said: “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme.”

Contribution from Reuters

Eric Lagatta covers breaking news and trends for USA TODAY. Contact him at [email protected]

Pavel Durov, a Russian-born tech mogul who co-founded the popular messaging platform Telegram, was arrested in France over the weekend for alleged crimes related to the messaging app.

Who is Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram?

What you need to know about Durov's arrest

Elon Musk and other free speech advocates challenge Durov's arrest

Lina Portman

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