Pavel Durov, the CEO and co-founder of Telegram, was detained at Bourget airport near Paris. TF1 TV, citing an undisclosed source, reported the detention occurred on Saturday evening.
Arrest During Private Jet Travel
Durov was flying on his private aircraft when he was taken into custody. The arrest followed an active warrant in France, according to TF1. The 39-year-old billionaire was arriving from Azerbaijan and was detained around 8 pm local time (6 pm GMT).
Following the detention, Durov was anticipated to appear in court on Sunday. However, his detention was extended and he could remain in detained for up to 96 hours. Originally from Russia and currently residing in Dubai, he holds both French and UAE citizenship. Telegram, which he co-founded, operates out of Dubai.
Durov's Financial Background
Forbes places Durov's net worth at $15.5 billion (£12 billion). He departed from Russia in 2014 after declining government orders to shut down opposition groups on his VK social media platform, which he later sold.
The Russian embassy in France is actively investigating the circumstances of Durov's arrest. According to TASS, no contact has been made by Durov's team, but the embassy is taking immediate steps to address the situation.
Telegram's Broad Reach
Since its inception in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai, Telegram has expanded to approximately 900 million active users. The app is lauded for its end-to-end encryption and its unique “channels” feature for rapid information dissemination.
Telegram has since issued a statement. According to the BBC, the messaging service says that Durov has “nothing to hide” while contesting that he should not be held responsible for the content on the platform. “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the company says.
Implications for Telegram
The detention of such a prominent tech figure could have significant effects on Telegram and its global user community. Observers in both the tech sector and among Telegram users will be closely watching the legal proceedings in France.
The European Union is scrutinizing messaging app Telegram over suspicions that it may have underreported its user base within the bloc. According to sources cited by Bloomberg, EU officials are currently in discussions with Telegram to verify the accuracy of its reported user numbers.
