cyber-crime

Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, has been arrested in France and is under investigation by the national cyber-crime unit and the national fraud office for alleged offenses related to activities on the Telegram platform. Durov, a multi-billionaire entrepreneur from Russia, is the founder of VKontakte and launched Telegram in 2015 after leaving Russia. He holds citizenship in the UAE and France and frequently travels throughout Europe. Telegram has 950 million monthly active users and is popular in regions like Russia and Ukraine. The platform allows large group sizes, facilitating the spread of disinformation, and has faced criticism for hosting extremist content. Following Durov's arrest, prominent figures such as Elon Musk and Edward Snowden expressed their support, with Snowden calling the arrest an infringement on human rights. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the situation is a judicial matter, not a political decision.