Telegram founder Pavel Durov is being detained by French authorities, reportedly because his app hasn’t tried enough to stop criminal activity on the app or help law enforcement.
The founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram was arrested in France on Saturday after landing in the country on his private jet, multiple news outlets reported, citing unnamed sources. Pavel Durov, 39, is reportedly being detained and questioned because of an existing French warrant.
Telegram, and therefore Durov, are being accused of allegedly not taking enough action to prevent, moderate, and stop criminal uses of Telegram, as well as not cooperating with law enforcement requests. OFMIN, France’s authority tackling violence against children, is reportedly investigating Durov and Telegram over concerns of alleged fraud, drug trafficking, promotion of terrorism, organized crime, and cyberbullying on the platform. Telegram has also been repeatedly accused of hosting and not taking enough action to stop child sexual abuse material and self-harm material from proliferating on its app.
