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What we know as Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested

Lucy Harley-McKeown y Pedro Goncalves
Actualización: ·4 min de lectura

The arrest of the billionaire Telegram founder on French soil was not a political decision, the country's president has said after Pavel Durov was arrested at at Le Bourget airport over the weekend, amid allegations about offences related to the messaging service.

While Telegram says its CEO has "nothing to hide", French media reports suggest the executive remained in custody into Sunday as authorities investigate allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, organised crime, terrorism promotion and cyber-bullying related to the platform.

His arrest came as part of a larger investigation related to charges of "complicity" in illegal transactions and possessing and distributing pornographic images of minors, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

The statement mentioned 12 different offences under investigation that it said were linked to organised crime.

President Emmanuel Macron posted on social media that he had seen “false information” regarding France following Durov’s arrest, and added: "This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide."

As of Tuesday morning, Durov had not been charged, and few details were available on the investigation. Under French law, he can remain in custody for questioning for up to four days, meaning that on Wednesday, judges must decide to either charge him or release him.

Based in Dubai, Telegram Messenger is one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world, according to the company. In 2024, it passed 900 million monthly active users, making it the world’s fourth most popular messaging platform behind WhatsApp, WeChat and Facebook Messenger (META).

It offers end-to-end encryption — effectively protecting data from being intercepted — and has a strong focus on privacy. But these features have made it a popular place for criminal activity.

"Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving," the company said in a statement.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” stated the message, which was posted to the company’s official channel on the Telegram app. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”

The Russian embassy in Paris issued a statement saying it had asked for clarifications about the arrest, but had not heard back from the French side.

“We still don’t know what exactly Durov has been accused of,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday, in his first comments on Durov’s detention.

“We haven’t heard any official statements. Before I can say anything at all about this, we need some clarity," he added, according to the BBC.

The United Arab Emirates announced late Monday it had asked the French government to allow consular access to Durov, who also holds Emirati citizenship.

"The UAE is closely following the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, founder of Telegram, who was arrested by the French authorities in Paris–Le Bourget Airport, emphasising that the UAE has submitted a request to the government of the French Republic to provide him with all the necessary consular services in an urgent manner," the Abu Dhabi foreign ministry said.

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The arrest has sparked an outcry online among proponents of privacy and encryption, with figures such as Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk coming out to support him. Musk posted a clip on X of Durov being interviewed with the text #FreePavel.

Meanwhile, the co-creator of cryptocurrency ethereum (ETH-USD) Vitalik Buterin wrote: "This looks very bad and worrying for the future of software and comms freedom in Europe."

Whistleblower Edward Snowden also said the arrest was "an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association."

The price of toncoin (TON11419-USD), the cryptocurrency associated with Telegram, which people can use as an in-app form of payment, dropped in the aftermath.

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