The popular messaging app Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, 39, was apprehended at Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening for his refusal to adhere to censorship laws.
He was taken into custody as he disembarked from his private jet arriving from Azerbaijan.
LOOK:
BREAKING: #Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested by French authorities.
Early official comments to French media suggest this follows from France's displeasure with Telegram's moderation & compliance with official requests(?).
If so, I'm pretty sure this is an unprecedented action… pic.twitter.com/hKa1Ip0buD
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) August 24, 2024
According to a machine translation of a report on TF1:
“The Justice considers that the lack of moderation, cooperation with the police and the tools offered by Telegram (disposable number, cryptocurrencies, etc.) makes it complicit in drug trafficking, paedophile offences and fraud.”
“Investigators from the ONAF (National Anti-Fraud Office attached to the Customs Directorate) notified him and placed him in police custody. He is expected to be presented to an investigating judge this Saturday evening before a possible indictment on Sunday for a multitude of offences: terrorism, drugs, complicity, fraud, money laundering, concealment, paedophile content…” the report continued.
In April, during an interview with Tucker Carlson, Durov revealed that the FBI had shown interest in establishing a ‘backdoor’ into the Telegram app, potentially for the purpose of surveillance on its users.
This disclosure underscores the U.S. government’s alleged attempts to undermine Telegram’s assurances of privacy and security.
WATCH:
Telegram founder @durov explains to @TuckerCarlson how the US government tried to secretly hire his engineer to create “back doors” for officials to spy on users.
“For us running a privacy focused social media platform that probably wasn’t the best environment to be in.” pic.twitter.com/d8sFvmDuk4
— Tucker Carlson Network (@TCNetwork) April 16, 2024
The apprehension of Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, marks a significant development in the ongoing struggle between tech companies and governments over privacy and censorship.
The accusations made against Durov and Telegram are serious and wide-ranging, from complicity in criminal activities to allegations of terrorism and fraud.
This story is developing…
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