Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was apprehended at Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening, as reported by TF1 TV and BFM TV, citing unnamed sources. The reports indicate that the investigation centers around the absence of moderators on the Telegram platform, a situation that authorities believe has facilitated unchecked criminal activities within the app. Telegram has yet to issue a statement in response to these developments, and both the French Interior Ministry and police have refrained from commenting on the matter.
Background on Durov and Telegram
Durov, a 39-year-old Russian entrepreneur, is the visionary behind Telegram, a free messaging platform that stands as a competitor to other social media giants such as Facebook’s WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. The app is on a trajectory to surpass one billion active monthly users within the next year.
Telegram holds significant influence in Russia, Ukraine, and various former Soviet republics, emerging as a vital source of information during Russia’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The platform has been described by some analysts as “a virtual battlefield,” utilized extensively by officials from both Moscow and Kyiv.
With an estimated fortune of .5 billion, as per Forbes, Durov’s journey has been marked by notable decisions. He left Russia in 2014 after resisting government pressure to dismantle opposition communities on his social media platform, VKontakte, which he subsequently sold. In August 2021, he became a French citizen and relocated both himself and Telegram to Dubai in 2017. Reports suggest that he has also acquired citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and holds citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation in the Caribbean.
In 2018, Russia initiated a blockade of Telegram after the app declined to comply with a court order demanding access to users’ encrypted messages for state security services. This move, while largely ineffective in curtailing Telegram’s availability, ignited mass protests in Moscow and drew criticism from various NGOs.
As Telegram’s popularity continues to soar, it has attracted scrutiny from several European nations, including France, over concerns related to security and data breaches. In May, EU tech regulators indicated they were engaging with Telegram as it approached a pivotal usage threshold that could subject it to more rigorous requirements under a landmark EU online content legislation.
Reflecting on his departure from Russia, Durov expressed a clear sentiment in an interview with U.S. journalist Tucker Carlson in April: “I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone.” This statement encapsulates his quest for autonomy and the search for a conducive environment for his company, which has included temporary relocations to cities such as Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco.
