Social media mogul Pavel Durov arrested over criminal activity on Telegram

French authorities detain Telegram's founder for failing to address criminal use of platform

PARIS:

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday evening, according to French news outlets TF1 and BFM TV, which cited anonymous sources.

Telegram, a prominent platform in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics, is ranked among major social media networks such as Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. With headquarters in Dubai, Telegram is aiming for one billion users within the next year. Durov, originally from Russia, left the country in 2014 after refusing to shut down opposition groups on his VK social media platform, which he eventually sold.

TF1 reported that Durov was aboard his private jet when he was apprehended under a French arrest warrant linked to an ongoing police investigation. The investigation allegedly revolves around Telegram's insufficient content moderation, which authorities believe has allowed criminal activity to persist unchecked on the platform.

Neither Telegram nor French police or government officials have commented on the arrest. Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become a key source of unfiltered, and occasionally misleading, information about the conflict. It is widely used by both the Ukrainian government, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russian officials to share news and updates. For many Russians, it remains one of the few platforms where they can access information about the war.