Telegram on Sunday questioned the grounds for France’s detention of Chief Government 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 stop legal use of Telegram, based on Agence France-Presse. His unique detention was prolonged by 24 hours late Sunday, a judicial official mentioned.
Telegram issued a press release on its platform and on X, previously generally known 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,” based on 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, based on 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 a proof 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, based on 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 equivalent to fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism, based on 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 likely one of the hottest messaging apps. Its comparatively light-touch strategy to content material moderation has led to allegations that it’s regularly 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 widespread 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 price of greater than $9 billion, based on 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 world wide.
“I’d quite be free, I wouldn’t wish to take orders from anybody,” Durov mentioned in the course of the interview.
