Who’s Pavel Durov?

Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging app Telegram, has been arrested in France.

Based on officers, the arrest was a results of a warrant issued for crimes associated to the app, and Durov was accused of failing to take steps to curb Telegram’s legal use after the investigation was reportedly inadequate.

“It’s absurd to assert {that a} platform or its homeowners are accountable for abuse of the platform,” Telegram stated in a press release.

Mr. Durov, 39, is a billionaire from Russia.

He based VKontakte, a preferred social media firm in Russia.

Mr Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to go away. Adjust to authorities requests to close down opposition communities on platforms.

He based Telegram a 12 months in the past and now runs the corporate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), the place he lives.

He holds UAE and French citizenship, however Russia says it nonetheless considers him a citizen.

Telegram stated Durov traveled steadily to Europe.

Durov stated in an interview with conservative US media determine Tucker Carlson in April that he would resist sure requests from authorities to take away content material from his platform.

“If we thought it could cross a line – that it was inconsistent with our values ​​of free speech and the safety of individuals’s non-public correspondence – we’d ignore it,” he stated.

Telegram is likely one of the largest social media and messaging platforms on the planet, alongside Fb, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat.

In July, Durov claimed Telegram had 950 million month-to-month lively customers. It’s standard in Russia and Ukraine, whereas pro-democracy teams in Iran and Hong Kong additionally use it.

Telegram does provide encryption, which implies messages can solely be learn on the system that despatched the message and the system that obtained it, however this isn’t the default setting for customers.

The largest distinction between Telegram and comparable providers like WhatsApp is the dimensions of the teams you’ll be able to be a part of on Telegram.

WhatsApp limits group measurement to 1,000 customers, whereas Telegram’s teams can accommodate as much as 200,000 customers.

The platform has confronted criticism that false info can unfold amongst these giant teams.

Critics say the platform comprises conspiracy, neo-Nazism, pedophilia or terror-related content material.

French officers reportedly stated the investigation into Durov stemmed from the app’s failure to cooperate with legislation enforcement in reference to drug trafficking, little one intercourse abuse and fraud.

Within the UK, the app has come below scrutiny for internet hosting far-right channels that performed a serious position in organizing violent riots in British cities this month, and cybersecurity consultants say its controls on extremist and unlawful content material are considerably weaker than Different social media firms and messaging apps.

After Durov’s arrest, Telegram stated its moderation “is consistent with business requirements and is consistently bettering.”

It stated it complied with EU legislation, together with the Digital Companies Act, which goals to make sure a secure and accountable on-line surroundings.

“Almost 1 billion customers around the globe use Telegram as a method of communication and as a supply of significant info,” the app’s assertion reads.

“We’re awaiting a speedy decision of this example. Telegram’s ideas are with everybody.”

French authorities have but to disclose particulars of Durov’s arrest for particular causes associated to Telegram.

Nevertheless, it’s unprecedented for an proprietor of a social media or messaging platform to be arrested for content material on that platform.

Elon Musk posts #FreePavel on X, with Telegram founder speaking to Carlson about what the Tesla and House Modified movies.

Edward Snowden, the US whistleblower who now lives in Russia after revealing widespread web and cellphone surveillance by US intelligence providers, stated on violation”.

He added: “I’m stunned and deeply saddened [French President Emmanuel] Macron has been diminished to taking hostages as a method of getting access to non-public communications. It brings down the extent not solely of France but additionally of the world.