France Detains Telegram CEO Durov In Content Moderation Investigation
The Russian embassy in France has demanded consular access to Durov and criticised French authorities for avoiding engagement regarding his situation
Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, was detained in France on Saturday night as local authorities launched an investigation reportedly centered on the platform's lack of content moderation.
The Russian embassy in France has demanded consular access to Durov and criticised French authorities for avoiding engagement regarding his situation. The embassy said that Durov’s rights must be upheld during the ongoing investigation.
Durov, 39, is a prominent Russian-born entrepreneur who first gained attention in 2006 with the creation of VKontakte, Russia's largest social networking site. His refusal to comply with the Russian government’s demands to censor opposition networks on VKontakte led to his departure from Russia in 2014, after which he sold his stake in the company.
In 2013, Durov launched Telegram, a messaging app that prioritises user privacy and has since grown into a major competitor to platforms like WhatsApp and WeChat.
Despite its popularity, Telegram has been under intense scrutiny for its approach to content moderation. The platform’s emphasis on privacy and encryption has raised concerns among governments and regulatory bodies, particularly in Europe, where officials worry that the app is being used to spread misinformation and coordinate illegal activities.
Telegram’s rapid growth in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet states, where it is considered a crucial source of information, has only heightened these concerns. In 2018, Russia attempted to ban the app after Durov refused to grant state security agents access to users’ encrypted messages, though the ban was largely ineffective.
Durov’s nomadic lifestyle and search for secure locations have seen him explore cities such as Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco before ultimately settling on Dubai as the headquarters for Telegram. His personal life is equally complex, with Durov holding citizenship in multiple countries, including France, the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis.
