Telegram founder & CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France

Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, French local media said, citing unnamed sources.They said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.The 39-year-old tech chief was reportedly detained after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of Paris.
The Russian-born entrepreneur - who became a French citizen in 2021 - was the subject of a search warrant.The investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram and potential criminal activity by users.Neither French police, the Interior Ministry, nor Telegram have commented on those claims.Telegram is one of the most downloaded apps in the world, with predictions it will achieve close to one billion users within a year.It offers end-to-end encryption - effectively protecting data from being intercepted - and has a strong focus on privacy.
Telegram is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union.This focus makes the app popular with pro-democracy movements and other protesters in countries with strict laws.It has become a critical source of information on Russia's war in Ukraine, and is used heavily by both Moscow and Kyiv officials. As per information, it is ranked as one of the major social media platforms and claims to have more than 950 million monthly active users.But it has also been used for criminal activity and recently by far-right activists who sparked riots in the UK over the Southport stabbings.
The app's founder, owner and chief executive left Russia in 2014 after losing control of his previous social media company Vkontakte (VK).He refused to comply with government demands to shut down opposition groups on the platform and would not hand over data on Ukrainian protesters to security agencies. Russian-born Durov grew up in Italy, and lives in Dubai - has citizenship in several countries. As per media report he is a proud sperm donor, helping over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have children.