By PARIS — Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of encrypted messaging app Telegram, was reportedly detained at Paris-Le Bourget Airport on charges related to criminal activity enabled by his platform, according to French media reports on Saturday.
French news outlets TF1, LCI, and BFMTV reported that France had issued an arrest warrant for Durov, 39, on charges of complicity in drug trafficking, crimes against children, and fraud. The charges reportedly stem from a lack of content moderation on Telegram and Durov’s alleged failure to cooperate with law enforcement.
According to TF1, Durov was detained on the tarmac after his private jet landed from Azerbaijan. An anonymous investigator quoted by TF1 suggested that Durov would likely be placed in pre-trial detention.
“On his platform, he allowed an incalculable number of offenses and crimes to be committed, for which he did nothing to moderate or cooperate [with law enforcement],” TF1 quoted a source close to the case as saying.
The arrest warrant is reportedly only valid in France. Sources cited by French media claim that Durov rarely traveled to Europe and avoided countries where Telegram was under surveillance by security forces, making his presence in France unexpected.
Telegram, which Durov claims has over 900 million users, has become a significant platform for sharing information about the war in Ukraine and is reportedly used by the Russian military for communication. Military expert Rob Lee commented on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) about the potential impact of Durov’s detention: “A significant change to Telegram’s policies could have a significant effect on the information domain for this war.”
The reported detention has prompted reactions from Russian officials. Deputy Russian State Duma Speaker Vladislav Davankov announced he had appealed to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to seek Durov’s release, expressing concerns that the arrest may be politically motivated.
Durov, who was born in Russia and became a naturalized French citizen in August 2021, is currently based in Dubai. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to share user data from VKontakte, a social network he founded, with Russian security services.
The detention raises questions about the balance between free speech and law enforcement cooperation in the context of encrypted messaging platforms. Investigative journalist Christo Grozev commented on the situation, highlighting the complex nature of Durov’s stance on privacy and content moderation.
As of Saturday evening, neither French authorities nor Telegram had officially confirmed Durov’s detention. The situation continues to develop, with potential implications for the operation of Telegram and the broader debate on encryption and online content moderation.
The reported detention of Durov comes amid growing global concerns about the use of encrypted messaging apps for criminal activities and the challenges faced by law enforcement in accessing communications on these platforms.
