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Russian-born billionaire Pavel Durov was arrested over the weekend over alleged moderation concerns regarding criminal use of his messaging application.
The 39-year-old technology billionaire Pavel Durov (pictured) was arrested over the weekend by French authorities after landing in the country via private jet.
Durov, founder and owner of the popular secure messaging app Telegram, was arrested as part of an investigation into alleged cyber crime and bullying on the platform, as well as terrorist activity and drug trafficking, which authorities allege Durov failed to take proper action to curb.
As regular readers of this site will be aware, Telegram is popular with a wide range of cyber criminals, from hacktivist groups to malware traders and ransomware gangs, thanks to its end-to-end encryption.
There has so far been no official response from French law enforcement, though his detention has since been extended. According to The Guardian, one officer involved in the investigation said “Enough of Telegram’s impunity” in response to the arrest.
Telegram said via a statement on X that Durov has nothing to hide.
“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving,” Telegram said.
“Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
The company said it was awaiting a “prompt resolution” to the situation.
Russia has accused France of “refusing to cooperate” and that the Russian embassy has been refused access to Durov while in detention.
Durov holds dual French and United Arab Emirates citizenship and currently resides in Dubai, where Telegram is headquartered.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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