Pavel Durov, Telegram founder, arrested in France amid cyber-crime probe

Pavel Durov, founder of messaging app Telegram, was arrested in France over the weekend. French authorities said that his arrest was in relation to an investigation into online child sexual abuse, drug sales, fraud, and other criminal activity on the platform.

The prosecutors stated that Durov is being held in custody as part of a cyber-crime investigation assessing twelve different offences linked to organised crime.

Telegram has said in a statement, “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform.”

Before founding Telegram in 2013, Durov founded a social media company called VKontakte in 2006 in Russia.

In 2014, the founder exiled himself after refusing to comply with the Russian government’s demands to shut down opposition communities on Vkontakte.

Now, Durov is based in Dubai while running the platform there, too.

Telegram joins Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok as one of the world’s largest social media platforms, with 950 million active users monthly.

The platform offers end-to-end encryption, which means messages cannot be accessed by anyone other than the device that sends and receives them—although this is not a default setting like it is on WhatsApp.

Telegram has previously faced criticism over the ability of users to spread disinformation on the app easily.

The app was cited as one of the platforms used by far-right groups to spread disinformation about refugees that led to rioting in Southport and other UK cities last month.

According to one report, fireworks and flares were being advertised for sale on a Telegram messenger group aimed at UK rioters last month.

Groups can be as large as 200,000, while WhatsApp groups, for instance, can only be as large as 1,000. However, the app, reported to employ less than one hundred staff, said that its moderation “is within industry standards and constantly improving,” and it abides by European Union laws.

“Almost a billion users globally use Telegram as a means of communication and as a source of vital information,” the app’s statement said. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation. Telegram is with you all.”