What happened to Pavel Durov? Telegram co-founder arrested in France

Pavel Durov, the co-founder of Telegram, was arrested by French authorities on August 24, 2024, over numerous complicity charges that involved serious crimes like drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and more.

But why? How did the Russian-born Durov go from the Forbes Billionaires List to facing 12 criminal charges in Paris?

Telegram, Durov’s messaging/social media platform, has been one of the most popular apps, especially for users seeking extra privacy. At an age where big players like Meta and Microsoft had a bit of heat from users over their data-sharing practices, Telegram—despite its different security approach—became an appealing alternative for some users.

But in the end, Telegram’s approach to security has somewhat turned into a double-edged sword that dragged the messaging app through both popularity and controversies. Telegram was used by some of its users to share illegal content, like pro-terrorist posts, child pornography, bank fraud and scams, drugs, and the list goes on.

So, something had to be done.

French authorities arrested Durov at Paris airport after his trip to Azerbaijan as a part of a cybercrime investigation, with allegations that Telegram failed to combat illegal activities on its platform, including the spread of child sexual abuse material and fraud.

OFMIN, a French child protection agency, issued the warrant, and the billionaire man is now hit with 12 alleged criminal violations, including complicity in selling child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking, and fraud.

And it’s more than just a social media saga. It goes beyond the political realm, too. Since Durov’s arrest, Russia has been criticizing the detention as politically motivated, while French authorities maintain it as a legal matter within their jurisdiction. The Russian Embassy in Paris has also requested consular access to Durov, which French authorities have so far not granted.

So, what’s next? This saga is not yet over, as Pavel Durov’s arrest implies a lot of things. For some, including famed whistleblower Edward Snowden, it’s “an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association.”

And there has been a lot of speculation over his fate, too. But regardless of the outcome, Pavel Durov’s arrest could significantly affect how we approach social media and freedom of speech.