Telegram on Sunday questioned the explanations for the detention of CEO Pavel Durov, the messaging app’s billionaire co-founder who was arrested at Paris airport over the weekend.
Durov, 39, was arrested in Le Bourget on Saturday for allegedly failing to take measures to forestall criminal use of Telegram, Agence France-Presse reported. His initial detention was prolonged by 24 hours late Sunday, a judicial official said.
Telegram released a press release on its platform and on X, formerly referred to as Twitter, saying the Dubai-based company complies with European lawsincluding the Digital Services Act, and that Durov has “nothing to hide”.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform,” the statement said. “We expect a swift resolution of this situation.”
Durov lives in Dubai and is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, in line with the Telegram website. He has not yet commented on whether he has renounced his Russian citizenship.
The Russian embassy in Paris said it had “asked the French authorities for an explanation of the reasons and demanded that they ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access.” Embassy staff are in touch with Durov’s lawyer, the statement said.
French agency Ofmin, set as much as combat violence against minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov, AFP reported. Ofmin is the coordinating authority in a preliminary investigation into suspected crimes including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and the promotion of terrorism, in line with AFP.
Toncoin, a cryptocurrency linked According to Telegram, views dropped by as much as 23% when it was announced that Durov was in custody.
Developed by Durov and his brother Nikolai, a programmer and mathematician, Telegram has around 900 million lively users and is some of the popular messaging apps. Its relatively lax approach to content moderation has led to allegations that it is commonly used for criminal activity and extremist material.
The Durov brothers made their fortune in 2006 by founding the Russia-based social network VKontakte. The platform quickly gained popularity amongst Russians and have become the goal of a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin.
Durov fled the country in 2014 and sold his stake in VKontakte. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, he has a net value of over nine billion dollars.
In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov spoke concerning the pressure he faced from Russian authorities while running VKontakte and the surveillance of Telegram by law enforcement agencies all over the world.
“I would rather be free and not take orders from anyone,” Durov said in the course of the interview.
