Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire CEO of the social media messaging app Telegram, was indicted in France for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the platform, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Durov was placed under judicial supervision and is banned from leaving the country, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.
He avoided jail by paying a 5 million euro bail, prosecutors said. He must report to a police station twice a week for check-ins.
The indictment comes the same day the CEO was released from police custody after being arrested in connection with an “ongoing judicial investigation,” prosecutors told ABC News.
In this photo illustration, the Telegram logo is displayed on a number of screens on Aug. 26, 2024 in London.
illustration by Leon Neal/Getty Images
Durov, 39, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Aug. 24. French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed his arrest two days later.
Durov is accused of allegedly being passive with regard to cyber and financial crimes being committed on the Telegram platform and was indicted on 12 charges, according to the Paris Prosecutor’s Office.
The charges are related to child pornography, drug trafficking and fraudulent transactions on the platform, prosecutors announced Monday.
In his statement, Macron maintained that Durov’s arrest was “not political,” saying, “France is more than anything attached to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to the spirit of enterprise. It will remain so.”
What is Telegram?
Telegram is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with approximately 800 million active users and a large user base in Russia and Ukraine.
Launched in 2013, Telegram was designed to address growing concerns about digital privacy and censorship. Unlike many messaging apps of the time, Telegram was built with a focus on security, offering end-to-end encryption and features that prioritized user privacy.
The rise of the app’s popularity was meteoric, making Durov among the wealthiest people in the world. He is estimated to have a net worth of approximately $15.5 billion, according to Forbes.
The app distinguished itself from competitors such as Facebook Messenger, WeChat and WhatsApp with its commitment to free speech and resistance to government censorship.
The app has positioned itself as a refuge for activists and journalists. Its features include self-destructing messages, secret chats and robust channel functionalities.
Additionally, Telegram offers a platform for larger messaging groups, allowing 200,000 users to be added to a chat.
Because of the large group sizes, Telegram has been criticized for hosting far-right and extremist groups. Most recently, the U.K. government denounced Telegram for its role in extremist groups organizing riots across the country in July.
Who is Pavel Durov?
Born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1984, Durov began his foray into technology entrepreneurship in 2006, founding the Russian social network VKontakte (VK).
Likened to Facebook, VK quickly gained traction among Russian-speaking users, offering a platform for social interaction, content sharing and networking.
However, the platform’s success attracted scrutiny from the Russian government, and Durov faced increasing pressure to comply with government requests for user data.
In 2014, Durov was forced to leave VK after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform.
Pavel Durov, chief executive officer of Telegram, speaks during a keynote session at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Feb. 23, 2016.
Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
He reportedly refused to block late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s page on the platform.
After leaving his position at VK, Durov left Russia and moved to Dubai, where he runs Telegram, which was founded a year prior in 2013.
Frequently traveling to Europe from the United Arab Emirates, Durov was granted citizenship in France in 2021.
Response to Durov’s arrest
In the wake of Durov’s arrest over the weekend, Elon Musk posted #FreePavel on X, sharing a clip of the Telegram founder’s previous interview with Tucker Carlson.
U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden called Durov’s arrest “an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association” in a post on X.
“I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world,” Snowden wrote.
ABC News’ Hugo Leenhardt and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
Pavel Durov, the CEO of popular messaging app Telegram, is facing indictment in France for alleged facilitation of criminal activity on the platform. The French government has accused Durov and Telegram of not doing enough to prevent the spread of illegal content, including hate speech, terrorism-related material, and child pornography.
Telegram, which boasts over 500 million users worldwide, has long been criticized for its lax approach to content moderation. Unlike other messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Telegram does not automatically scan messages for illegal content or provide end-to-end encryption by default. This has made it a popular choice among criminals and extremist groups looking to communicate securely.
In response to the indictment, Durov has defended Telegram’s policies, arguing that the app’s focus on privacy and security is essential for protecting user data from government surveillance. He has also pointed out that Telegram has a team of moderators who actively monitor and remove illegal content from the platform.
However, critics argue that Telegram’s hands-off approach to content moderation has allowed criminal activity to flourish on the app. In recent years, Telegram has been used by terrorist groups like ISIS to spread propaganda and coordinate attacks, as well as by cybercriminals to sell stolen data and conduct illegal activities.
The French government’s decision to indict Durov is part of a larger crackdown on tech companies that fail to adequately police their platforms. In recent years, countries around the world have been increasing pressure on social media companies to take more responsibility for the content shared on their platforms.
It remains to be seen how this indictment will impact Telegram and Durov’s reputation. Some users may be drawn to the app’s commitment to privacy and security, while others may be concerned about its potential to facilitate criminal activity. In any case, this case highlights the ongoing debate over the balance between freedom of speech and the need to prevent illegal activity online.
