Telegram on Sunday questioned the grounds for France’s detention of Chief Govt Officer Pavel Durov, the messaging app’s billionaire co-founder who was taken into custody at a Paris airport over the weekend.
Durov, 39, was detained at Le Bourget on Saturday on suspicion of failing to take steps to forestall legal use of Telegram, in keeping with Agence France-Presse. His unique detention was prolonged by 24 hours late Sunday, a judicial official mentioned.
Telegram issued an announcement on its platform and on X, previously referred to as Twitter, saying the Dubai-based firm abides by European legal guidelines, together with the Digital Companies Act, and that Durov has “nothing to cover.”
“It’s absurd to say {that a} platform or its proprietor are accountable for abuse of that platform,” in keeping with the assertion. “We’re awaiting a immediate decision of this case.”
Durov lives in Dubai and is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, in keeping with the Telegram web site. He hasn’t beforehand commented on whether or not he has renounced his Russian citizenship.
Russia’s embassy in Paris mentioned it requested “French authorities for an evidence of the explanations and demanded that they make sure the safety of his rights and supply consular entry.” Embassy officers are in contact with Durov’s lawyer, in keeping with the assertion.
France’s Ofmin, an company set as much as fight violence in opposition to minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov, AFP reported. Ofmin is the coordinating company in a preliminary probe into alleged offenses akin to fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism, in keeping with AFP.
Toncoin, a cryptocurrency linked to Telegram, sank as a lot as 23% on information that Durov was in custody.
Telegram was created by Durov and his brother Nikolai, a programmer and mathematician. It has about 900 million energetic customers and is without doubt one of the hottest messaging apps. Its comparatively light-touch method to content material moderation has led to allegations that it’s ceaselessly used for legal exercise and extremist materials.
The Durov brothers made their fortune from creating the Russia-based social community VKontakte in 2006. That platform shortly grew to become fashionable amongst Russians, making it a goal for a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin.
Durov fled the nation in 2014 and bought his stake in VKontakte. He has a internet value of greater than $9 billion, in keeping with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
In an interview with former Fox Information host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov mentioned the stress he confronted from Russian authorities whereas operating VKontakte and the scrutiny of Telegram by regulation enforcement companies all over the world.
“I might fairly be free, I wouldn’t need to take orders from anybody,” Durov mentioned in the course of the interview.