Telegram CEO Out Of Police Custody In France, Faces Potential Indictment

Pavel Durov, the founder of the social media app Telegram, was released from police custody in France on Wednesday and now faces possible charges after being transferred to a court for questioning.

This follows his arrest at Paris’s Bourget Airport over the weekend, where he was detained under a warrant related to allegations concerning the platform’s “inadequate content moderation.”

According to reports from CNN, Durov exited the anti-fraud office outside Paris in a police vehicle on Wednesday afternoon. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that he would undergo “initial questioning and possible indictment” in France’s capital.

The 39-year-old billionaire was detained on Saturday amid a probe into various serious accusations, including claims that Telegram facilitated criminal activities such as fraud, drug trafficking, and the dissemination of child pornography. 

The platform has also been criticized for its alleged association with terrorist groups and far-right extremists, mainly due to its “lack of content moderation.”

Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to reassure users regarding the app’s future, urging them not to delete sensitive messages amid fears of increased scrutiny.

French President Emmanuel Macron intervened in the matter, asserting that the decision to pursue charges against Durov was “in no way political.”

Durov, who was born in the Soviet Union in 1984, has often been referred to as the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia.” After leaving Russia in 2014, he established his residence in Dubai, where Telegram’s headquarters is located, while also holding French citizenship. 

According to the report, while the messaging app has been praised by free speech advocates for enabling private communication in “restrictive regimes,” critics argue that its allegedly unregulated environment has become a refuge for those coordinating illicit activities. 

Durov himself acknowledged this in a 2016 CNN interview, stating, “You cannot make it safe against criminals and open for governments. It’s either secure or not secure.”

At the time of writing, the token developed by messaging app Toncoin (TON) is trading at $5.6, up more than 4% on Wednesday’s news of Durov’s release.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com