Telegram founder, Pavel Durov, arrested over app content
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The news: Telegram's co-founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, was arrested by French police at Le Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday, according to French television channel TF1 TV and local media.
The 39-year-old French-Russian billionaire had arrived on a private jet from Azerbaijan when he was detained under a French arrest warrant linked to Telegram, Reuters reported citing sources.
A police source told the news agency the arrest was part of a preliminary investigation into claims Telegram allowed various crimes due to insufficient moderation and failure to cooperate with authorities.
A cybersecurity unit of France's armed forces and France's anti-fraud police were spearheading the investigation, with an investigative judge specialised in organised crime overseeing the case, Reuters said.
Neither Telegram nor French officials have made any official comments.
The Russian-born Durov lives in Dubai and holds dual citizenship in the UAE and France. He is expected to appear in court on Sunday.
The context: Durov, who founded Telegram in 2013, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte platform. His arrest in France has drawn criticism from Russian officials, who accuse the West of double standards on free speech.
The app, particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet states, has faced criticism for allowing the spread of harmful content, including far-right extremism and paedophilia.
What they said: The Russian Embassy in France said it was seeking clarification and access to Durov, while Russia's Foreign Ministry questioned the silence of Western human rights NGOs.
Several Russian officials criticised the arrest, arguing it exposed the West's double standards on free speech and democracy, the BBC reported.
X owner Elon Musk, who has also been criticised for moderation issues on his platform, made several social media posts commenting on the situation using the hashtag #freepavel.
The sources: The Guardian , The BBC , Reuters
