Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, was arrested at an airport near Paris on Saturday, reportedly as part of a preliminary investigation into the app’s lax approach to moderation and failure to curb possible criminal activities, according to Reuters, which cites the French news outlets BFM and TF1. Telegram is also reportedly being accused of not cooperating with police. Durov was taken into custody after arriving at Le Bourget airport on a private jet, Reuters reported.
Telegram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, and is widely used in parts of Europe and Asia especially. Durov said earlier this year that it was nearing one billion active monthly users. The app uses end-to-end encryption and supports groups containing tens of thousands of members, allowing mass sharing of information and uncensored content. According to the BBC, the concerns of the current investigation include the app’s failure to crack down on drug trafficking, child sexual abuse materials, and fraudulent activities.
