Telegram founder arrested in France for moderation policy

According to French news channels BFMTV and TF1, Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov was arrested at an airport several kilometers north of Paris on Saturday evening. Both channels report that the billionaire CEO arrived on a private jet from Azerbaijan and that a French search warrant is out against him because the app has no moderators and is allegedly used for drug trafficking, money laundering and the distribution of child pornography.

So far, neither the French authorities nor Durov have made any comments on the arrest. However, Telegram commented on X, formerly Twitter, that “Durov has nothing to hide,” while Russian officials reportedly condemned the arrest as an attack on free speech. X owner Elon Musk also posted about moderation and free speech following the reports.

A post on Telegram's X account said the company “adheres to EU laws” and its moderation efforts are “in line with industry standards.” The post added: “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform.”

The company added that it was “waiting for a resolution soon.”

Durov was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and is a naturalized citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates. Before Telegram, the tech executive co-founded VKontakte, Russia's answer to Facebook. Durov reportedly sold his stake in VKontakte and left Russia in 2014 due to government censorship demands. Telegram is currently headquartered in Dubai and Durov said in April that the app had nearly a billion users.

Durov is 39 years old and worth $15.5 billion, according to Forbes. In July, the tech executive said he was a sperm donor, had “over 100 biological children” and planned to develop “open source software.” [his] “DNA.”

Telegram has reportedly censored content in the past, including Hamas channels and “public calls for violence” related to the attack on the US Capitol. Still, governments frequently clash with Telegram over its stance on content moderation and privacy, as well as its use by protesters. Russia tried to block Telegram after the company refused to hand over encryption keys in 2018. A year later, Durov claimed China launched cyberattacks against the service to quell protests in Hong Kong. Cuba blocked the app in 2021 amid protests against the government’s response to Covid-19, and two years later, a Spanish court briefly blocked access to Telegram following copyright complaints from local media groups.