French television network TF1 reported that authorities arrested Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, on Saturday evening as he was leaving his private jet at France’s Bourget airport.
The arrest of Durov has sparked discussions and speculations on social media, including on Telegram itself. However, there has been no response from Telegram or France’s national anti-fraud office ONAF to requests for comments.
TF1 reports that Durov faced a warrant in France as a result of a preliminary police investigation. French authorities claim that Durov’s lack of content moderation and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement make him complicit in drug trafficking, money laundering, and the sharing of child pornography through the app.
The reported arrest is expected to lead to further discussions on the responsibility that messaging apps should have for the messages shared by their users.
According to Forbes, Durov’s net worth is estimated at $15.5 billion. He moved to Dubai in 2014 after resisting pressure from the Russian government to disclose information about Ukrainian protest leaders on Vkontakte, his previous social network. Durov currently resides in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and his plane was flying in from Azerbaijan.
Last month, Durov mentioned that Telegram had 950 million active users and aimed to reach 1 billion this year. Despite the app’s large scale, the company reportedly only has around 30 engineers, making Durov a crucial part of its operation.
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