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- Policy
Updated Aug 30, 2024, 3:27 PM UTC
By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.
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The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has sparked questions about the messaging app’s future — and the precedent prosecution could set. On August 24th, French authorities took Durov into custody near Paris as part of an “ongoing judicial investigation” into criminal activity on the platform, which is known for its lax moderation policies.
A French judge later charged Durov with enabling illicit transactions, complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material, and refusing to cooperate with authorities, among other offenses. Although he has been released under judicial supervision, Durov has been barred from leaving France while the authorities continue their investigation.
If you want to keep up with the news surrounding Durov’s arrest, you can follow along below.
Highlights
- Telegram CEO charged in French criminal investigation
- Telegram says CEO has ‘nothing to hide’ after being arrested in France
- French authorities arrest Telegram’s CEO
- PINNED
Aug 27
Jordan Pearson
Telegram’s CEO has taken a hands-off approach for years — now his luck might have run out
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
See AlsoWhat to know about Telegram, the messaging app whose CEO was arrested over the weekend | CNN BusinessWhat is Telegram and why was its CEO arrested in Paris?Telegram founder Pavel Durov under formal investigation with bail set at $5.56 million, prosecutor says | CNN BusinessFrench authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport, French media reportTelegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest in France on Saturday took the tech world by surprise. The 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire was detained after touching down at an airport outside of Paris in his private plane. And with scant detail available, observers wondered what the unprecedented action meant for free speech, encryption, and the risks of running a platform that could be used for crime.
On Monday, French officials revealed that Durov is being questioned as part of a wide-ranging criminal investigation surrounding crimes that regularly happen on Telegram. While some of the accusations could still raise red flags, many seem to concern serious offenses —like child abuse and terrorism — that Durov would reasonably have been aware of. But many questions remain unanswered, including how worried other tech executives should be.
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Aug 30
David Pierce
The problem with Telegram
Image: The Verge
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested in France last weekend, and a few days later was charged with a number of offenses connected to criminal activity on Telegram. There’s a lot about this story we don’t yet know, but this week’s events seem to signal a shift in how countries and governments plan to hold executives accountable for what happens on their platforms.
On this episode of The Vergecast, we try and make sense of what happened here — and what might happen next. We talk about what makes Telegram different from WhatsApp or Facebook, the ways Durov set up and operated the company that may have made this confrontation inevitable, and whether this will have a ripple effect on the rest of the social internet. Or even the rest of the internet as a whole.
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Aug 28
Wes Davis
Telegram CEO charged in French criminal investigation
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
A French investigative judge has charged Telegram CEO Pavel Durov with enabling illegal transactions among other alleged offenses, according to reports from NBC News and Le Monde. Durov had been arrested Saturday as part of an investigation into child sexual abuse material and other criminal activity on Telegram.
The charges were later detailed in a press release posted to the official LinkedIn account of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.
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Aug 28
Wes Davis
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov faces court questioning in France.
Durov was released from police custody and transferred to court ahead of a possible indictment, reports The Associated Press.
French authorities arrested Durov Saturday in a preliminary investigation of the relationship between Telegram’s moderation practices and the distribution of CSAM and other criminal content by another unnamed person on the platform.
Aug 26
Richard Lawler
French prosecutors explain why they arrested Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.
While Durov hasn’t been charged, a statement from the French government says his recent arrest is tied to an investigation into a “person unnamed” on charges of being complicit in distributing CSAM, drugs, and hacking tools, along with refusing to cooperate with law enforcement and other crimes.
Telegram has said its CEO and founder has “nothing to hide.”
Image: Paris Judicial Court
Aug 26
Alex Heath
Telegram says CEO has ‘nothing to hide’ after being arrested in France
Photo: Getty Images
Telegram says its CEO and founder Pavel Durov has “nothing to hide” after he was arrested by French authorities outside of Paris.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” the company says in an unnamed statement posted to its official channel in the Telegram app on Sunday. French officials have confirmed to multiple outlets that Durov was arrested as part of a police investigation into criminal activity taking place on the social network.
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Aug 24
Wes Davis
French authorities arrest Telegram’s CEO
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is reportedly in custody after being arrested near Paris Saturday evening as he was departing his private jet. The billionaire was apprehended on a warrant related to a preliminary investigation, writes Reuters.
French authorities believe that the platform’s lack of moderation has “allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.” Durov will go before a judge tonight and could be indicted as early as Sunday, according to sources for TF1 TV (which we read using Google Translate), one of two French outlets cited by Reuters.
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