Telegram: CEO arrested – what you need to know about the messenger app

Telegram: CEO arrested – what you need to know about the messenger app

The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France last weekend has put the popular messaging service and its mysterious founder in the spotlight.

Background to the arrest

Russian-born Durov was arrested at Bourget airport in Paris on Saturday on an arrest warrant related to Telegram's failure to moderate content. According to French prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the allegations include that his platform supported fraudsters, money launderers, drug traffickers and disseminators of child pornography content. Beccuau added that Durov is accused of refusing to provide “information or documents” related to the investigation.

The legal status of Durov

On Wednesday, French prosecutors announced that Durov had been formally placed under investigation and would not be allowed to leave France. This does not automatically imply guilt in the French legal system, but represents the next step in a serious official investigation. He must remain in the country under judicial supervision, with bail set at $5.56 million, and is required to appear at the police station twice weekly.

Criticism and debates

Durov's arrest has sparked a debate about freedom of expression and responsibility for illegal content online. Russian lawmaker Maria Butina, who was convicted of espionage in the United States in 2019 and deported to Russia, called the CEO a “political prisoner” on Sunday. However, French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement Statement on X that Durov's arrest was "in no way a political decision." Macron emphasized that the arrest was part of an ongoing judicial investigation.

What is Telegram?

Telegram is an encrypted messaging service founded in 2013 by Durov and his brother Nikolai. The app now has more than 950 million users and is one of the most used messaging platforms worldwide. The platform has become an important means of communication in many countries, with users having everyday conversations, sending photos and documents, and disseminating government news.

Advantages and risks of the platform

Because conversations on the app are encrypted, law enforcement agencies – as well as Telegram itself – have little insight into what users post. This privacy has made Telegram an important means of communication in countries where freedom of expression is restricted, such as Russia, Iran and India. The app has also become popular in Ukraine, where it has become an important tool for spreading news about the war and warnings about airstrikes.

However, these same protections have also made the service popular among drug traffickers, money launderers and extremists, including white supremacists and terrorist groups such as ISIS.

A controversial service

Beyond its use by criminals and extremists, Telegram has also had to justify its role in major conflicts and political events, as well as its refusal to abandon its encryption commitment. Russia tried to ban Telegram in 2018 because the company refused to provide decryption keys to the country's security services. Durov refused to accept the ban, which was ultimately lifted in 2020.

About Pavel Durov

Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was born in the Soviet Union in 1984. He showed a talent for mathematics and programming at an early age. In 2006, he founded Vkontakte, a social media site, and became known as “the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia.” After a conflict with the Russian government, he left the country in 2014 and started Telegram. Today Durov lives in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered, and also has French citizenship.

In addition to his role on Telegram, Durov has become an online personality, sharing pictures of his travels and claiming to have fathered over 100 children through sperm donations over the past 15 years.