Pavel Durov, the 39-year-old founder and CEO of Telegram, was taken into custody by French authorities on Saturday after his private jet landed at Le Bourget Airport. According to reports, Durov was arrested under a warrant related to alleged “various violations” of his encrypted messaging service.
The warrant was issued by France’s Office to Combat Violence Against Minors (OFMIN) as part of an investigation into a range of offenses, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and glorification of terrorism. A source told Le Monde that the investigation was sparked by concerns over the “viral circulation of false information” on Telegram.
French authorities have accused Durov of a “lack of moderation” on his platform, which has been criticized for its handling of hate speech and disinformation. The European Union and the United States have been putting pressure on major platforms to remove illegal content, and Telegram has been accused of shielding itself from state moderation rules.
Durov, who became a French citizen in 2021, is expected to appear in court on Sunday. The arrest has sparked a heated debate about free speech and censorship, with some critics accusing the French government of overstepping its bounds.
In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Durov spoke about his experiences with censorship and government pressure. He recalled how the Russian government had demanded that he censor speech on his other platform, VK, in an effort to quell protests in the country. Durov refused, and eventually resigned as CEO of VK after being offered a choice between complying with government demands or selling his stake in the company.
Carlson reacted to Durov’s arrest on Saturday, writing that it was a “living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies.”
Elon Musk also weighed in, calling the arrest an “ad for the First Amendment” that was “very convincing.”
