Telegram CEO charged for ‘allowing criminal activity’ on app
2 Min Read
Pavel Durov is facing prosecution for allegedly failing to prevent the spread of sexual content and calls for violence on his app.
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Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov, center, smiles following his meeting with Indonesian Communication and Information Minister Rudiantara in Jakarta, Indonesia on August 1, 2017. (AP)
The French judiciary charged Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov, of allegedly allowing criminal activity on the messaging app, setting his bail at €5 million.
The Russian-born billionaire, also a French citizen, was released under the condition that he report to a police station twice a week and stay within France, as stated by Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau. Durov is accused of being complicit in the spread of child pornography, along with various other alleged offenses, on the messaging platform.
On Saturday, the 39-year-old was detained at Le Bourget airport, near Paris, under suspicion of failing to prevent illegal content on the platform, including the exchange of child sexual imagery, drug trafficking, and fraud.
His unexpected arrest has drawn attention to the criminal liability of Telegram, a popular app with approximately 1 billion users, and has ignited a debate over free speech and government censorship.
Telegram argues it abides by EU laws
In a statement on Sunday, Telegram asserted that it complies with European Union laws and that its moderation practices are "in line with industry standards and continually improving." It said that “Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe,” adding, “It is absurd to claim that a platform, or its owner, are responsible for abuse of that platform.”
In response to the arrest, the leader of France's Les Patriotes party, Florian Philippot, blasted President Emmanual Macron's government as one of "lunatics" after authorities arrested Durov on Saturday.
Incroyable ! ⤵️
— Florian Philippot (@f_philippot) August 25, 2024
À l’aéroport du Bourget, le PDG et fondateur du réseau social #Telegram a été arrêté cette nuit par la police française, mis en détention provisoire et risque 20 ans de prison !
Pourquoi ? « Pour absence de modération, de coopération avec les forces de l’ordre,… pic.twitter.com/zPIspVnKLT
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