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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France

The Telegram messaging app is being investigated for criminal behaviors that ran rampant due to a lack of moderation.

Donovan Erskine

August 26, 2024 7:28 AM

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This weekend, Pavel Durov, the CEO of cloud-based messaging app Telegram, was arrested after landing in Paris on a private jet. The arrest comes amid a French police investigation into criminal activity that took place on Telegram as a result of a lack of moderation on the platform.

Word of Durov’s arrest quickly spread online over the weekend thanks to reports from outlets like CNBC. Telegram, which is an encrypted messaging app with over a billion users, has been under scrutiny for criminal activity and the distribution of inappropriate content that takes place on the platform.

French outlets BFM and TF1 allege that Telegram leadership had been uncooperative with police during the investigation. Following Durov’s arrest, France's Russian embassy said that it had “immediately asked the French authorities for clarification of the reasons and demanded to ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access.”

Durov’s arrest comes amid a crackdown on social media moderation by the EU. Earlier this month, the group’s commissioner penned a letter to Elon Musk, warning of potential legal action over the lack of moderation on X leading up to the United States’ Presidential Election.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_