(WJET/WFXP) — Telegram CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov was arrested in Paris over the weekend and charged with multiple crimes related to the messaging app.
The accusations against Durov, a Russian-born French national, include that his platform was being used to host child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information and documents with investigators despite being required by law to do so.
The 39-year-old billionaire was charged on Wednesday with conspiring to operate an online platform that enabled organized crime syndicates to conduct illegal transactions, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a 500,000 euro fine.
He is also accused of:
- Taking part without justification in the creation of programs or data designed to attack automated data processing systems
- Conspiracy to commit organized crime to distribute child pornography of minors
- Participating in drug trafficking, organized crime, or criminal conspiracy
- Laundering crime and illegal activity through organized gaming
- Providing cryptographic services aimed at ensuring confidentiality without a declaration of compliance
Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday as part of a wide-ranging judicial investigation launched last month and released early Wednesday after four days of questioning. An investigating judge laid preliminary charges against him on Wednesday night and ordered him to pay 5 million euros bail and report to a police station twice a week.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday the arrests were not a political move and were part of an independent investigation.
In France’s first official comments on the arrests, President Macron posted on social media platform X that his country was “deeply committed” to freedom of expression but that “freedoms will be maintained within the bounds of legal frameworks to protect our citizens and respect their fundamental rights, both on social media and in real life.”
Macron said the arrest was “in no way a political decision. It is the judge who decides on this case” and denounced it as disinformation.
X’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk, who has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” in the past, supported Durov, posting “#freePavel.”
Western governments have frequently criticised Telegram for its lack of content moderation, and experts say the messaging platform could be used to share material related to money laundering, drug trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors.
In a statement posted on its platform after the arrests, Telegram said it complied with EU law and that its moderation was “within industry standards and is constantly improving.”
“It is absurd to claim that the platform or its owners are responsible for the misuse of its platform,” Telegram’s post read. “Nearly one billion users around the world use Telegram as a means of communication and an important source of information. We await a swift resolution to this situation. Telegram stands with you.”
What is Telegram?
Telegram is an encrypted messaging service, a cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app that prioritizes security and speed.
The platform was founded by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai in the fall of 2013. As of 2024, the app has almost 1 billion active users, making it one of the largest messaging apps after WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger.
The app largely avoids government surveillance of content with its main privacy feature being end-to-end encryption on private chats and calls, which essentially prevents third parties from seeing what is being sent or said in a conversation.
According to Telegram’s FAQ page, the company has been funded by Durov to date, and users’ data has not been sold for revenue. To help raise funds, Telegram has implemented several ways to monetize the platform. In 2021, it added “minimal, privacy-respecting ads that appear in certain public channels.” The following year, it introduced premium subscriptions to support the app and unlock premium features.
The app has become a major source of unfiltered, sometimes graphic and misleading content from both Ukraine and Russia since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The app is frequently used by both Ukrainian authorities and the Russian government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
