Telegram founder’s arrest sparks debate about free speech and criminal activity online – KION546

Originally published: August 24, 24, 7:08 p.m. ET

Updated: August 26, 24, 10:43 ET

By Joseph Ataman, Lex Harvey, Robert Ilich and Michelle Velez, CNN

Paris (CNN) — The detention of the Russian-born billionaire founder of Telegram, a messaging app known for its unfiltered content, has sparked a debate about freedom of expression and illegal content on the internet.

Pavel Durov, 39, was arrested on Saturday at Paris’ Bourget airport on an arrest warrant related to Telegram’s lack of moderation, which led to money laundering, drug trafficking and the spread of pedophile content on the platform, CNN partner broadcaster BFMTV reported.

Durov traveled from Azerbaijan to Paris on his private jet, the network reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron told X that Durov’s arrest was linked to an “ongoing judicial investigation” and was “in no way a political decision.”

“In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms on social networks, as in real life, are exercised within a legally established framework to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights,” Macron said. “France is committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and entrepreneurship. And it will remain so.”

Telegram has around 900 million users and is an important communications tool in many countries, used for everything from everyday chatting to spreading government messages.

On Sunday, the Russian embassy in Paris confirmed Durov’s arrest and said it was in contact with the businessman’s lawyer. The Paris prosecutor’s office did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Durov’s detention raises questions about whether tech bosses should be responsible for the content on their platforms – a prospect Telegram called “absurd” in a statement released Sunday in defense of its CEO.

“Encrypted communication apps like Telegram mean freedom of expression for some, but for others they mean entry into the darknet,” said Duncan Clark, chairman of the BDA and technology expert.

The app is known for its high levels of encryption and limited control over its users’ posts, making it highly vulnerable to disinformation, conspiracy theories, hate, and other harmful content.

Telegram’s strong stance against censorship has made the platform particularly popular in countries where freedom of expression is restricted, such as Russia, Iran and India. The platform is also favored by white supremacists and terrorist groups such as ISIS.

Telegram is also very popular in Ukraine and has become an important tool for spreading news about the war and warnings about air strikes.

Increasing control

In his statement on Sunday, Telegram said Durov had “nothing to hide” and that it was “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the misuse of that platform.”

“Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is in line with industry standards and is constantly improving,” the statement published on X (formerly known as Twitter) continued.

The detention is a sign that France is cracking down on the lack of moderation on platforms like Telegram, Clark said.

European Union regulators have tightened their control over the tech giants, passing a flood of new laws designed to limit them.

This year, concerns about foreign disinformation and interference in the European elections prompted EU officials to investigate meta and set up special agencies focused on combating disinformation, particularly from Russian trolls.

Durov’s detention quickly sparked criticism from prominent anti-censorship activists such as Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Musk posted “#FreePavel” on his social media platform X alongside a video of Durov on Tucker Carlson’s show in which the Telegram founder praised X for his more open moderation style under Musk.

“France just arrested Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the encrypted, uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent,” Kennedy Jr. wrote on X.

In late October 2023, Telegram restricted access to several channels associated with or operated by Hamas after Hamas was under surveillance for weeks following the October 7 attacks on Israel.

Often referred to as the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia,” Durov launched Telegram with his brother Nikolai in 2013 and has a net worth of $9.15 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.

He was born in Russia but left the country in 2014 after refusing to comply with the Russian government’s request to hand over data on Ukrainian VKontakte users and now lives in Dubai.

“I would rather be free than take orders from anyone,” Durov told Reuters in April about leaving Russia and finding a location for his company, a process that included stops in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

—CNN’s Juliana Liu and Camille Knight contributed reporting.

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