Telegram Co-Founder Pavel Durov Arrested in France

Pavel Durov, the co-founder of Telegram, was arrested by French authorities on Saturday for allegedly allowing criminal activities on the messaging platform, as reported by local media.

Durov, a 39-year-old Franco-Russian national, was detained at Paris-Le Bourget airport after arriving from Azerbaijan. The arrest was carried out under a warrant issued by the Juvenile Office (OFMIN) of the National Directorate of Criminal Investigation. He is expected to appear before an investigating judge in the coming hours.

French authorities allege that Telegram's lack of moderation and cooperation with law enforcement, combined with features such as disposable numbers and encryption, have facilitated crimes including terrorism, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and the distribution of illegal content.

Telegram, launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, is a messaging app known for its cloud-based synchronization, encryption features, and large group capacities.

In response to Durov's arrest, Russian lawmakers have called for his release, suggesting that the detention might have political motives and could be an attempt to gain access to Telegram users' confidential information. Vladislav Davankov, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to intervene with French authorities. Other officials, including Andrei Svintsov, Deputy Head of the Duma's Information Policy Committee, expressed concerns that Durov could be held in custody for several years.

Russia's Ombudswoman, Tatiana Moskalkova, also commented on the arrest, suggesting that it may be an attempt to shut down Telegram.

Telegram, headquartered in Dubai and available in over 20 languages, allows users to access their messages from multiple devices simultaneously and supports sharing large files. The platform also offers features like bots, secret chats with end-to-end encryption, and group capacities of up to 200,000 members. These features have made Telegram a unique platform but have also attracted scrutiny from various governments for its potential misuse.