Pavel Durov, the Russian-French entrepreneur who created the Telegram messaging platform, was apprehended at Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday night, according to reports from TV stations TF1 and BFM, based on sources that are not officially identified. During his apprehension, Durov was travelling on his private aircraft, as reported by TF1 on their website, and was under scrutiny due to a warrant issued against him in France linked to a preliminary criminal investigation.
The enquiries conducted by both TV stations revealed that the central issue was Telegram’s lack of moderation, which the authorities believed was a breeding ground for unchecked illegal activities over the platform. In light of these findings, French media outlets insinuated that Durov may be charged on Sunday.
Telegram, a heavily encrypted platform boasting nearly a billion users, holds significant societal influence in countries like Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet Union republics. In the league of expansive social media platforms, it falls after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and Wechat. Neither Telegram nor the French Ministry of Interior Affairs returned any comments when asked for the same by Reuters.
Born in Russia, Durov created Telegram with his brother in 2013. He emigrated from Russia in 2014 after declining to conform to the government’s request to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he subsequently sold. In a conversation with American journalist Tucker Carlson last April, Durov firmly expressed his resolve for freedom over obedience, this followed his exit from Russia and his pursuit for a suitable location for his company, trying places such as Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has emerged as a primary source for uncensored information related to the warfare and political scenario around the conflict. Apart from its utility, it has been wrestling with the proliferation of graphic and occasionally deceptive content emanating from conflicting sides. The platform has evolved into a digital warzone as referred by some analysts, finding extensive usage by the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, his officials, and also the Russian government.
The messaging platform Telegram – famed for allowing users to bypass official oversight – has emerged as one of the sparse arenas left for Russians seeking independent war news, especially since independent journalism has been increasingly curtailed by the Kremlin following its Ukraine invasion.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed its Parisian embassy was in the process of understanding the predicament surrounding Durov and appealed to non-governmental western associations (NGOs) to insist upon his release.
In 2018, Russia initiated a Telegram ban after the platform refused to observe a court order demanding that the national security agency be given access to users’ encrypted communications. This course of action disrupted numerous auxiliary services, however, the impact on Telegram’s availability in the country was negligible. Nonetheless, the imposition of the ban sparked widespread protests in Moscow, accompanied by censure from NGOs.
Durov, valued at $15.5 billion by Forbes, admitted governments have attempted to coerce him, but he insisted that his application should stay as a “neutral platform” and not become a “participant in geopolitics”.
As Telegram has gained popularity, it has triggered a review from several European nations, including France, due to worries surrounding security and potential data leaks.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s envoy to global organisations in Vienna, along with various other Russian politicians, rapidly accused France of operating as a dictatorship on Sunday – a charge that Moscow itself encountered when they imposed restrictions on Durov in 2014 and attempted to outlaw Telegram in 2018.
Ulyanov voiced his opinion on X by stating, “Certain naive individuals remain oblivious that if they take on a discernible role in the international information domain, visiting countries that are drifting towards totalitarianism could provide potential danger,”.
Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire owner of X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, commented post reports of Durov’s arrest: “It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being persecuted for liking a meme.”
On F, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who recently withdrew from the US presidential race and supported Republican Donald Trump, pointed out that the urge to safeguard free speech, “has never been more imperative”.