France: Pavel Durov, Telegram app founder, arested on warrant at French airport 24 Aug 2024

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Telegram app founder Pavel Durov reportedly arrested at French airport

Billionaire CEO, who was travelling aboard his private jet, was subject of arrest warrant, according to TV reports

www.theguardian.com

"Pavel Durov, billionaire co-founder and chief executive of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV said, citing an unnamed source.

Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France."

 

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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/telegram-messaging-app-ceo-pavel-durov-arrested-france-tf1-tv-says-2024-08-24/

"Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.

TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app."

 

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*Pavel Durov, the Russian-French billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV and BFM TV said, citing unidentified sources.

Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.

TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app

 

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France's Macron says arrest of the head of the Telegram messaging app wasn’t political

President Emmanuel Macron issued France's first public comment on the arrest of the CEO of the popular messaging app.

apnews.com

"Durov was detained Saturday at Le Bourget airport in a judicial inquiry opened last month involving 12 alleged criminal violations, the Paris prosecutor’s office said Monday.

It said in a statement that the suspected violations include complicity in selling child sexual abuse material and in drug trafficking, fraud, abetting organized crime transactions and refusing to share information or documents with investigators when required by law."

 

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https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/28/tech/pavel-durov-telegram-custody-released-intl/index.html

"Telegram founder Pavel Durov was released from police custody in France on Wednesday and transferred to court for questioning ahead of a possible indictment, prosecutors told CNN, days after his dramatic arrest at a Paris airport."

 

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Telegram chief Durov released on €5 million bail, forbidden to leave France

Russian-born Telegram boss Pavel Durov was released on bail after being placed under formal investigation by French authorities following his arrest as part of a probe related to illegal content carried…

www.france24.com

Russian-born Telegram boss Pavel Durov was released on bail after being placed under formal investigation by French authorities following his arrest as part of a probe related to illegal content carried on his messaging app. Durov was freed after paying a €5 million deposit and instructed not to leave France.

 

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https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/29/europe/telegram-pavel-durov-swiss-child-allegations-intl-latam/index.html

French prosecutors told CNN they have requested more information from Switzerland over allegations that Telegram founder Pavel Durov conducted “acts of violence” against one of his children.

Irina Bolgar, the former partner of the Russian-born billionaire and the child’s mother, made the claims against Durov. She filed a legal complaint in a court in Geneva, Switzerland, in March 2023.

 

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Telegram CEO’s brother also wanted by French authorities

Arrest warrants for Pavel and Nikolai Durov were issued months earlier than previously known.

www.politico.eu

French authorities issued arrest warrants for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and his co-founder brother Nikolai in March, according to a French administrative document seen exclusively by POLITICO.

The document indicates the French undercover investigation into Telegram is wider and began months earlier than previously known. The case revolves around Telegram’s refusal to cooperate with a French police inquiry into child sex abuse.

 

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Article from earlier this month...

Telegram Quietly Updates FAQ Page As Pavel Durov Says Rapid Growth Made It Easier For ‘Criminals To Abuse Our Platform’

The Telegram founder and CEO, however, described his arrest by French authorities as “misguided” and said the messaging platform was not an “anarchic paradise.”

www.forbes.com

Telegram quietly updated its FAQ (frequently asked questions) page on Thursday, signaling a major revamp in how it moderates illegal content. Previously, the answer to the question “There's illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?” started with “All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.” The updated answer now says: “All Telegram apps have 'Report' buttons that let you flag illegal content for our moderators — in just a few taps.”

 

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https://www.npr.org/2024/09/05/nx-s1-5102808/telegram-pavel-durov-breaks-silence-indictment

While the Russian born tech billionaire acknowledged Telegram is “not perfect,” he maintained the company has taken down "millions of posts and channels every day'' and is busy remedying protocols to make the platform “safer and stronger.”

Telegram has seen huge growth since its founding in 2013. It now boasts 950 million global users. Durov blamed "growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform."

 

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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/france-uses-tough-untested-cybercrime-law-target-telegrams-durov-2024-09-17/

The so-called LOPMI law, enacted in January 2023, has placed France at the forefront of a group of nations taking a sterner stance on crime-ridden websites. But the law is so recent that prosecutors have yet to secure a conviction.

With the law still untested in court, France's pioneering push to prosecute figures like Durov could backfire if its judges balk at penalising tech bosses for alleged criminality on their platforms.