(WJET/WFXP) — Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the popular messaging service Telegram was arrested Saturday at the Le Bourget airport north of Paris.
Durov was taken into custody around 8 p.m., according to a news release from the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office. According to French news outlet TF1 Info, the 39-year-old billionaire was accompanied by his bodyguard and a woman.
French authorities issued a search warrant for Durov, which was authorized by the OFMIN (Office to Combat Violence Against Minors) of the national directorate of the French judicial police on the basis of a preliminary investigation.
According to TF1: “[The] Justice considers that the lack of moderation, cooperation with law enforcement and the tools offered by Telegram (disposable number, crypto, etc.) makes him an accomplice in drug trafficking, pedocriminal offenses and fraud.”
The prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the suspected violations include complicity in selling child pornography and in drug trafficking, fraud, abetting organized crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that the arrest wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation.
In France’s first public comment on the arrest, Macron posted on the social media platform X that his country “is deeply committed” to freedom of expression but “freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights.”
Denouncing what he called false information, Macron said the arrest “is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
Durov’s detention was extended until Monday night and can be prolonged until Wednesday evening before authorities must release or charge him, the prosecutor’s office said.
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X who has in the past called himself a “free speech absolutist,” posted “#freePavel” in support of Durov following the arrest.
Western governments have often criticized Telegram for a lack of content moderation, which experts say opens up the messaging platform for potential use in money laundering, drug trafficking and the sharing of material linked to the sexual exploitation of minors.
In a statement posted on its platform after his arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving.”
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” Telegram’s post said. “Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as means of communication and as a source of vital information. We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”
Durov is a citizen of Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the Caribbean island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova took to Telegram, saying that the Russian Embassy “has immediately started working” on Durov’s detention, “as it supposed to in a case, when information comes that the receiving side has detained a Russian citizen.” In an interview, she said that “…for France, he is first and foremost a citizen of their country.”
Durov has maintained that, despite pressures from outside sources, Telegram should remain a “neutral platform” and not a “player in geopolitics.”
What is Telegram?
Telegram is an encrypted messaging service that is a “cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app with a focus on 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 behind WhatsApp, WeChat, and Facebook Messenger.
The app largely bypasses the government’s oversight of content, with its central privacy feature being its end-to-end encryption in secret chats and calls. This essentially prevents third parties from seeing what is being sent or said in the conversation.
According to Telegram’s FAQ page, the company has historically been funded by Durov, meaning your data is not sold to generate revenue. To help with funding, Telegram has implemented several ways to monetize the platform. In 2021, they added “minimalist, privacy-conscious advertisements that can appear in certain public channels.” The following year, they introduced a premium subscription to support the app and unlock premium features.
The app has become a major source of unfiltered — and sometimes graphic and misleading — content by both Ukraine and Russia after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The app is used heavily by both Ukraine officials and the Russian government.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
