The chief executive officer of Telegram has been arrested in Paris, sparking concerns about the international policing of social media companies.
Pavel Durov was detained after his private plane landed at Le Bourget Airport on the evening of Aug. 24. The messaging and social media app has been accused of failing to cooperate with French law enforcement amid investigations into fraud, child sexual content, and drug trafficking.
French news outlets reported that the 39-year-old billionaire had been notified by the nation’s customs department’s National Anti-Fraud Office that he was being taken into custody.
French President Emmanuel Macron released a statement on X condemning “false information regarding France” following Durov’s arrest.
“France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship,” wrote Macron. “The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
The French government released a statement on Aug. 26 noting that the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office began an investigation into Durov and Telegram on July 8 as part of its fight against cybercrimes.
Telegram, which was founded in 2013 and is based in Dubai, has denied allegations of insufficient moderation.
Durov, a native of Russia, founded the platform with his brother after a number of pro-democracy protests broke out in the two previous years. Telegram’s founder has dual citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and France. He left Russia in 2014.
Russia reversed a three-year ban on Telegram in 2021. Durov had refused to give the Kremlin user data.
Russian officials told reporters on Aug. 26 that the circumstances of Durov’s arrest were unclear.
“We still don’t know what exactly Durov has been accused of,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, per the BBC. “We haven’t heard any official statements. Before I can say anything at all about this, we need some clarity.”
Telegram has more than 700 million monthly active users globally.
Durov has an estimated net worth of $15.5 billion. A father of five, the unmarried tech entrepreneur has claimed to have fathered more than 100 other children via sperm donation.
“My past donating activity has helped over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have kids,” he said on Telegram in August, per The Daily Mail. “Now I plan to open-source my DNA so that my biological children can find each other more easily.”
“Of course, there are risks, but I don’t regret having been a donor,” Durov continued. “The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and I’m proud that I did my part to help alleviate it.”
He encouraged his followers to “defy convention” and to “redefine the norm.”
A number of high-profile technology entrepreneurs and political commentators have posted messages in support of Durov.
Tesla founder and X owner Elon Musk shared a clip of Durov speaking with Tucker Carlson with the tag #FreePavel.
“Pavel Durov, Telegram's CEO, was detained by French authorities for allegedly enabling criminal activity on his platform,” wrote Mario Nawfal on X. “By this logic, who's next?... If this is the new standard, tech CEOs should be on high alert and avoid France.”
“The arrest of [Pavel Durov] is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association,” wrote Edward Snowden, the American whistleblower. “I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.”
