Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested Saturday as he departed his personal jet at Le Bourget airport outdoors Paris, a number of retailers reported.
Reuters reported, citing French media sources, that the elusive billionaire entrepreneur was arrested as a part of a preliminary investigation into prison exercise on the moment messaging app. Per CBS Information, the investigation is concentrated on posts on the platform which will embody offenses reminiscent of fraud, drug trafficking, and arranged crime, with Telegram accused of failing to average such content material adequately.
CBS Information reported he’s anticipated to seem in courtroom on Sunday.
Durov’s arrest comes amid rising worldwide strain on social media platforms to average content material on their websites and apps. The European Union, of which France is a key member, just lately carried out the Digital Providers Act, which requires giant tech corporations to strictly average unlawful content material on their platforms or face steep fines. Telegram has confronted intense scrutiny from the EU this 12 months over its moderation practices for the reason that platform has grown to 41 million EU customers — simply shy of the 45 million dimension that will require the platform to observe DSA guidelines.
Telegram is a very influential social media platform in Ukraine and Russia and has change into a major supply of details about the battle between the 2 international locations. The location has come below repeated fireplace for internet hosting graphic and deceptive content material in regards to the Russia-Ukraine battle and the battle between Israel and Hamas. Nonetheless, Telegram hardly ever shuts down channels with out prompting from legislation enforcement or regulatory businesses.
Durov, born in Russia, left the nation in 2014 after he refused to adjust to Kremlin orders to close down the accounts of opposition teams on a separate social media platform he based, VKontakte, per Reuters. That 12 months, Durov offered his stake in VKontakte.
“I’d slightly be free than to take orders from anybody,” Durov advised Tucker Carlson in April about his determination to go away Russia.
Representatives for Telegram didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.
