Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested over allegations of lax app moderation

The 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire was detained on Saturday evening at Le Bourget airport, located north of Paris, AFP reported citing a source who wished to remain anonymous.

Durov had arrived from Baku, Azerbaijan, another source familiar with the situation told the news agency.

The arrest was based on a warrant issued by France's OFMIN, an agency responsible for preventing violence against minors.

The preliminary investigation into Durov is based on allegations including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promoting terrorism, according to sources.

Durov faces accusations of not taking sufficient action to prevent criminal activities on Telegram. An investigator commented, "Enough of Telegram's impunity," and expressed surprise that Durov would come to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.

Based in Dubai, the encrypted messaging app has marketed itself as a privacy-focused alternative to US-owned platforms, which have been criticized for exploiting users' personal data.

The platform has pledged never to disclose user information.

In a rare interview with right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov explained that he was inspired to create Telegram after facing pressure from the Russian government while working at VK, a social network he founded before selling it and leaving Russia in 2014.

Durov recounted his attempts to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco before ultimately choosing Dubai, which he praised for its business environment and "neutrality."

Durov emphasized that people appreciate Telegram's independence, privacy, and freedom, noting that the platform had over 900 million active users at the time of the interview.

By operating from the United Arab Emirates, Telegram has avoided moderation laws even as Western countries press large platforms to remove illegal content.

Telegram's ability to host groups of up to 200,000 members has led to criticism that it facilitates the spread of misinformation, as well as neo-Nazi, pedophilic, conspiratorial, and terrorist content.

In contrast, competitor WhatsApp implemented global limits on message forwarding in 2019 after being accused of enabling the spread of misinformation in India that resulted in lynchings.