Reports have surfaced indicating that Pavel Durov, the founder of the popular messaging app Telegram, has been detained in France. The allegations against him include insufficient content moderation on the platform and purported assistance in criminal activities. The incident took place when Durov landed at Le Bourget airport in France after flying directly from Azerbaijan, where he was reportedly arrested by the French Air Transport Authority (La Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens).
Durov, a 39-year-old Russian citizen, has been residing in self-imposed exile from Russia for an extended period. The French news site TF1 indicated that his arrest was prompted by his presence in the Fichier des Personnes Recherchées (FPR), a database that lists wanted individuals and criminals maintained by the French Interior Ministry for reference by law enforcement agencies in the country.
Initial reports from the National Anti-Fraud Office (L’Office National Antifraude – ONAF) suggested that the arrest was related to France’s concerns about Telegram’s lax content moderation policies, limited collaboration with law enforcement agencies, and the availability of harmful tools on the platform. Telegram, known for its secure encrypted messaging services, has faced criticism in the past for being a platform where illegal activities such as sharing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) thrive, as well as for hosting malicious tools like malware and stolen databases.
Authorities have consistently raised concerns about Telegram being used by terrorists and its perceived lack of content moderation. While details regarding Durov’s arrest remain scant, social media reactions have poured in following the news. Individuals like John Scott-Railton and Igor Sushko have taken to Twitter to express their views on the matter, highlighting France’s discontent with Telegram’s moderation practices and Durov’s purported non-compliance with investigations into criminal activities facilitated through the platform.
While awaiting official statements from Telegram and French authorities, concerns have been raised about the implications of Durov’s detention on the operations of the messaging app. Hackread.com has reached out to Telegram for clarification and additional comments on the situation.
In the wake of this development, various related topics have resurfaced, including the use of Telegram-controlled malware targeting Linux servers, the automation of phishing scams via the messaging platform, the imprisonment of cybersecurity experts like Group-IB Founder Ilya Sachkov in Russia, the utilization of Telegram and the Dark Web by hackers to aid protestors in Iran, and alleged insider access to Telegram servers being sold on illicit marketplaces.
As the story unfolds, the tech community and users of Telegram will be closely monitoring the situation to understand the full extent of the allegations against Pavel Durov and the potential repercussions for the messaging app he co-founded.