Paris: Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the widely-used messaging platform Telegram, was arrested at Bourget Airport near Paris on Saturday evening. French authorities are investigating the platform’s lack of moderators, which they believe may have allowed criminal activities to flourish unchecked.
The arrest has sparked significant attention, given Telegram’s global reach, with over 950 million active users, and its position as one of the top five most downloaded apps worldwide. Despite the platform’s popularity, it has faced criticism for its encryption and privacy policies, which have been seen as a double-edged sword—offering privacy to users but also providing a haven for illicit activities.
Telegram, co-founded by Pavel and his brother Nikolai Durov in 2013, operates on a foundation of privacy and security. While Nikolai provides technological support, Pavel has been the driving force behind its financial and ideological growth. The app’s commitment to user privacy has made it popular, but also a point of contention with governments and law enforcement agencies.
French authorities have remained tight-lipped about the details of Durov’s arrest, with both the Interior Ministry and police declining to comment. Telegram has also not issued any statements regarding the incident. Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has expressed concern, stating that it is working to “clarify” the situation and questioning whether Western non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will advocate for Durov’s release.
Pavel Durov, often referred to as “Russia’s Zuckerberg,” first gained prominence as the creator of Vkontakte, Russia’s largest social network, at just 22 years old. His success with Vkontakte and Telegram has earned him a considerable fortune, estimated at $15.5 billion by Forbes.
Durov’s relationship with Russia has been fraught with tension, particularly after he reportedly refused to cooperate with the Russian secret service by providing encrypted data of his social network users. This led to his departure from Russia and eventual relocation to Dubai in 2017. Since then, Durov has acquired multiple citizenships, including French, St. Kitts and Nevis, and, reportedly, United Arab Emirates citizenship.
