Telegram founder arrested for ‘lack of moderation’ of platform regarding child sexual abuse

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Telegram has said its CEO has “nothing to hide” after French authorities arrested Pavel Durov over the messaging app's moderation of suspected criminal activity on the platform, including the distribution of child sexual abuse material.

In a surprise move that fuelled the global debate over free speech and increased tensions with Moscow, the Russian-born billionaire was arrested at Paris-Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening as he arrived in France on his private jet from Azerbaijan, a French police official confirmed.

Ofmin, a French police agency created last year to focus on preventing violence against minors, said on Monday that Durov was accused of failing to adequately curb criminal activity.

“At the heart of this problem lies the lack of moderation and cooperation on the part of the platform (which has nearly a billion users), particularly in the fight against sexual crimes against children,” Jean-Michel Bernigaud, Secretary General of Ofmin, wrote on LinkedIn on Monday.

The Paris public prosecutor's office confirmed that Durov was under investigation, but declined to comment further. On Sunday, the investigating judge extended his pre-trial detention from 24 to up to 96 hours, AFP reported.

French authorities investigated whether Telegram's moderation errors had facilitated illegal activities such as terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud and child exploitation.

Some reports suggested that there was an arrest warrant against Durov, but according to Telegram, the businessman “has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.”

In a statement on Sunday, Dubai-based Telegram said its moderation was “within industry standards and is constantly being improved” and that it complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act. The law, which came into force this year, requires platforms to more closely monitor harmful content and disinformation or face penalties or restrictions within the bloc.

“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” Telegram said. “We await a swift resolution of this situation. Telegram stands by all of you.”

Durov's arrest represents the most drastic domestic action yet against a social media boss and threatens to further inflame the global debate over whether platforms should prioritize online safety or free expression.

Advocates of free speech such as Elon Musk have sharply attacked the French authorities. The billionaire and owner of the competing platform X posted the hashtag “#freepavel” on his platform.

Durov is known as the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia” after co-founding the country's most popular social network, VKontakte, in his hometown of St. Petersburg in 2007. He fled Russia in 2014 after allegedly refusing to comply with Moscow's demands for access to the data of Ukrainian users protesting against a pro-Russian government.

Telegram was founded in 2013 and has since exploded in popularity. The app now has almost a billion users and has become one of the most important means of communication in conflict zones and humanitarian crises, such as the war between Russia and Ukraine or the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Durov has taken a low profile in moderation, portraying the app as impervious to governments, but some researchers warn that this has turned it into a hub for illegal activity and extremism.

Although Durov now holds dual citizenship (French-Emirati), his Russian roots prompted some lawmakers in Moscow to demand his release and suspect that the arrest was politically motivated. The Russian embassy in France said it had requested consular access to Durov.

In recent years, Durov has tried to distance himself and the app from Russia, as critics claimed the Kremlin may still have ties to or influence over Telegram.

“He thought his biggest problems were in Russia and left the country… he wanted to be a brilliant 'citizen of the world' who could live well without a homeland,” former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now a prominent right-wing commentator, wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday.

“He miscalculated. To our common enemies, he is still a Russian – unpredictable and dangerous, of a different origin.”