Telegram founder Pavel Durov detained in France
This is not the first time we have talked about Pavel Durov on the Houhou Informatics blog. Whether for his gestures towards his user base or his frequent criticism of WhatsApp, the founder and CEO of Telegram, known as the “Russian Mark Zuckerberg,” is always a topical figure. His actions and opinions are always relevant, although his appearance in the news is not for something positive.
Reuters reported that French police arrested Pavel Durov when his private plane landed in France. The details appear to relate to the app’s refusal to disclose data about its users or content.
According to the information available to us, Durov had an arrest warrant against him for crimes in which the French authorities considered Telegram to be a necessary ally, such as some monetary fraud, the distribution of copyrighted content and even drugs.
Meanwhile, the authorities are highlighting the aforementioned lack of moderation and poor cooperation with law enforcement as compelling reasons for Durov’s arrest. Investigators close to the case commented on the French channel TF1 that the Telegram CEO “will end up in preventive detention, that’s for sure.” All this is due to the countless crimes committed, against which the app’s founder would have done nothing to “moderate or cooperate.”
For its part, since Durov is a Russian citizen (although he also holds French citizenship), Russia has launched a diplomatic offensive in order to release the app's founder.
Despite all the onslaught launched by Russia, Pavel Durov has been keeping his distance from his native country for years. In this regard, the Kremlin’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Maria Zagarova, stated that none of the Telegram CEO’s legal representatives had contacted the Russian diplomatic mission to make any requests regarding their client.
Telegram founder arrested in France | What is the fate of the famous application?
Who is Telegram creator Pavel Durov, who was detained in France?