Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at Le Bourget airport in Paris and is currently facing twelve criminal charges, which could have significant implications for Telegram and its global operations.
According to an official press release by the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris, Durov was apprehended upon his arrival at Le Bourget airport and was subsequently taken into police custody at 8 p.m.
The statement disclosed the arrest is linked to a judicial investigation that commenced on July 8, 2024, following a preliminary inquiry by Section J3-JUNALCO, a unit specializing in cybercrime within the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation targets several severe offenses, pointing to the misuse of Telegram’s platform for illegal activities.
The charges include:
- Complicity-web-mastering an online platform in order to enable an illegal transaction in organized group,
- Refusal to communicate, at the request of competent authorities, Information or documents necessary for carrying out and operating Interceptions allowed by law,
- Complicity-possessing pornographic Images of minors,
- Complicity-distributing, offering or making available pornographic images of minors, in organized group,
- Complicity acquiring, transporting, possessing, offering or selling narcotic substances,
- Complicity offering, selling or making available, without legitimate reason, equipment, tools, programs or data designed for or adapted to get access to and to damage the operation of an automated data processing system,
- Complicity-organized fraud,
- Criminal association with a view to committing a crime or an offense punishable by 5 or more years of imprisonment.
- Laundering of the proceeds derived from organized group’s offenses and crimes,
- Providing cryptology services aiming to ensure confidentiality without certified declaration,
- Providing a cryptology tool not solely ensuring authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration,
- Importing a cryptology tool ensuring authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration
The arrest and subsequent charges against Pavel Durov have cast a shadow over Telegram, raising concerns about the platform’s governance and potential misuse.
As the judicial investigation progresses, the outcomes could have far-reaching consequences for Durov and Telegram’s operations, particularly concerning its legal standing and public image.
Backstory
Pavel Durov, a Russian-French billionaire arrest was carried out under an arrest warrant issued in France as part of an ongoing police investigation, first reported by Reuters.
Durov was traveling aboard his private jet when he was detained, and there is speculation that he could face a formal indictment soon.
French broadcasters TF1 TV and BFM TV have indicated that the investigation centers on Telegram’s alleged failure to moderate content effectively, which has reportedly allowed criminal activities to flourish unchecked on the platform
What You Should Know
Telegram, an encrypted messaging service with nearly one billion users, is a major player in the global social media landscape, particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics. Despite the platform’s prominence, both Telegram and French authorities have remained silent on the arrest.
Durov, a Russian-born entrepreneur, co-founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. The brothers left Russia in 2014 after Durov refused to comply with the Russian government’s demands to shut down opposition groups on VKontakte, a social media platform he had previously created and later sold. Durov has since lived in Dubai and is estimated to be worth $15.5 billion.
