The founder and CEO of the messaging service Telegram wasdetained at a Paris airport on an arrest warrant alleging his platformhas been used for money laundering, drug trafficking and other offenses,French media reported Sunday.
By Barbara Surk, Associated PressTelegram co-founder Pavel Durov, center, smiles following his meeting with Indonesian Communication and Information Minister Rudiantara in Jakarta, Indonesia on Aug. 1, 2017.
Investigators from the National Anti-Fraud Office, attached to the French customs department, notified Durov, 39, that he was being placed in police custody, the broadcasters said.French prosecutors declined to comment on Durov’s arrest when contacted by The Associated Press on Sunday, in line with regulations during an ongoing investigation.
In the increasingly repressive environment, Telegram and its pro-privacy rhetoric offered a convenient way for Russians to communicate and share news. In 2018, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor moved to block Telegram over its refusal to hand over encryption keys, but ultimately failed to fully restrict access to the app.
“If the person concerned is to be brought before a judge today, it is only in the context of the possible extension of his police custody measure — a decision that must be taken and notified by an investigating judge,” the official said. In addition, Telegram “appears basically unresponsive to law enforcement,” Thiel said, adding that messaging service WhatsApp “submitted over 1.3 million CyberTipline reports in 2023 Telegram submits none.”
“In 2018, a group of 26 NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and others, condemned the Russian court’s decision to block Telegram,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at Paris airport, French media reportFrench broadcast media say the founder and CEO of the popular messaging service Telegram has been detained at a Paris airport.
Read more »
French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport, French media reportFrench broadcast media say the founder and CEO of the popular messaging service Telegram has been detained at a Paris airport.
Read more »
French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport, French media reportFrench broadcast media say the founder and CEO of the popular messaging service Telegram has been detained at a Paris airport.
Read more »
French authorities arrest Telegram CEO Pavel Durov at a Paris airport, French media reportFrench broadcast media say the founder and CEO of the popular encrypted messaging service Telegram has been detained at a Paris airport. Pavel Durov, a dual French and Russian citizen, was arrested at Paris' Le Bourget airport on Saturday evening after landing in France from Azerbaijan, according to broadcasters LCI and TF1.
Read more »
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested at airport near Paris, French media reportsPavel Durov is suspected of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform, Telegram.
Read more »
Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France, French media sayTelegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France, French media say
Read more »