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Who is Pavel Durov? What we know after the billionaire Telegram CEO was arrested in France.

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Billionaire Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France on Saturday, several French officials confirmed. The arrest appears to have come amid an investigation into whether Telegram – a permissive and sometimes controversial messaging and social networking platform – allows crime on its app due, among other things, to a lack of moderation.

Key data

Durov, 39, was arrested on Saturday evening after landing at Paris' Le Bourget airport from Azerbaijan after an arrest warrant was issued against him, several media outlets reported, citing unnamed sources.

His arrest reportedly came as part of an investigation into Telegram's content moderation practices. Investigators believe the messaging app – which has over 950 million users – fails to restrict the number of criminal users and does not adequately cooperate with law enforcement when the app is used for drug trafficking, child sexual content and fraud.

In a statement posted on LinkedIn, Jean-Michel Bernigaud, secretary of the French police agency for the prevention of violence against minors, confirmed Durov's arrest and said it was linked to Telegram's lack of moderation and cooperation in the fight against sexual crimes against children.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday morning that he had seen “false information” about Durov's arrest, adding that it was “in no way a political decision” and that France was and remains “deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit”.

A lawyer for Durov – who is from Russia, has not lived there for about ten years and now lives in Dubai – reportedly sharply criticised the arrest, telling Russian media it was like blaming a car manufacturer for an accident or using it to transport drugs.

The Russian Embassy in France said in a statement sent to X around 5 a.m. EDT on Sunday that it had asked French authorities for clarification on the reasons for Durov's detention, but France had not responded to that request.

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What you should pay attention to

According to Agence France-Presse, Durov is expected to appear in court in the next few days.

Forbes Rating

We estimate that Durov has a net worth of about $15.5 billion, making him the 150th richest person in the world as of Sunday morning.

Important background

Telegram is a messaging platform that competes with apps like WhatsApp and Signal, which Durov developed in 2013, years after he founded Vkontakte, Russia's largest social network. The app features end-to-end encrypted messaging, meaning messages are inaccessible to anyone other than the sender and recipient, including the messaging service. It is also known for its social networking groups and channels: after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram became a major source of communication and is regularly used by both Russian and Ukrainian leaders. It is controversial for its notoriously lax approach to moderation, which has led to extremist content appearing on the app, although Durov has defended it as a safe haven for free speech and privacy (the company says it blocks terrorist groups). For example, following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, the app saw a surge in use by extremists and conspiracy theorists after it was removed from American social media platforms, the Times reported.

Surprising fact

Durov, who was born in Russia, fled the country in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to release data of Ukrainian protest leaders or shut down opposition communities on Vkontakte, the New York Times reported. He initially resigned from Vkontakte, saying his freedom had been restricted, Reuters reported, but later said he was fired after trying to retract his resignation. Durov is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, and Telegram is now based in Dubai. Telegram was banned in Russia from 2018 after its leadership failed to comply with a court order giving state security services access to its users' encrypted messages, Reuters reported — though the ban was lifted in 2020 after two years of not successfully enforcing it.

Contra

Durov's arrest sparked criticism from other social media executives, including Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X. He posted a video praising Durov with the caption “#FreePavel.” Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble – a video-sharing site popular with conservatives – said France had “crossed a red line” by arresting Durov.

More information

The New York TimesTelegram boss Pavel Durov reportedly arrested in FranceTechCrunchTelegram founder Pavel Durov reportedly arrested in France | TechCrunchForbesPavel Durov

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