French authorities have launched a formal investigation against Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, for his alleged involvement in criminal activities on the platform. He is facing charges for complicity in facilitating serious crimes through the platform, with prosecutors claiming that Telegram failed to cooperate with judicial requests for assistance in investigations.
Durov, a Russian billionaire, was detained in Paris and released on bail, but is prohibited from leaving French territory and must report to the police twice a week. The charges against him include complicity in illicit transactions, drug trafficking, organized fraud, distribution of child abuse material, and other criminal activities.
In addition to the legal troubles Durov is facing, the European Commission is investigating the accuracy of Telegram’s user numbers in Europe. If the platform is found to have over 45 million users in the EU, it could be subject to stricter regulations under the Digital Services Act.
Despite the allegations and investigations, Telegram maintains its commitment to user privacy and freedom of speech. Durov, who previously founded the Russian social network VK, left the country due to government pressure to disclose user data. Telegram positions itself as an anti-censorship platform and has been involved in pro-democracy movements in several countries.