2024-08-26 14:11:35
Telegram boss arrested
The consequences are hard to predict
26.08.2024 – 13:20Reading time: 3 min.
France has arrested Telegram founder Pavel Durov. Who is the man? How is Russia reacting? And what will happen to the messenger now?
The founder of the controversial Telegram service, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France over the weekend. He has long been accused of not taking consistent enough action against hate speech and other illegal activities on his platform.
According to initial reports, the Telegram founder is said to have become complicit in drug trafficking, fraud and several offenses related to child abuse due to a lack of intervention at Telegram and a lack of cooperation with French authorities.
Due to the lack of a deletion policy, Telegram is popular with “lateral thinkers”, Islamists and right-wing radicals. Users spread their hate messages in openly visible channels.
But that’s not all. In recent years, the messenger has become one of the most important communication channels in the Ukraine war. Many people in Russia use the app to find out about war events independently of state-sanctioned news sources.
The 39-year-old was born in what was then Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), but spent his youth in Italy, where his father worked. After studying linguistics in Saint Petersburg, Durow founded the social network VKontakte, which is now called Vk, together with his brother Nikolai in 2006. The social network with millions of users is considered the Russian Facebook.
After the controversial 2011 parliamentary elections in Russia, the Kremlin government demanded that Durov delete the pages of opposition politicians on VKontakte. Durov refused.
Durov first attracted worldwide attention when he offered US whistleblower Edward Snowden a job at VKontakte in 2013. In the same year, Russia tightened control over the Internet in the country.
Together with his brother, he eventually developed the messenger Telegram with an encryption concept. Durov sold his shares in VKontakte to an ally of President Putin and his investment company. Durov left Russia.
If you want to read more about Pavel Durov, we recommend this article.
The chat service itself defends itself against the allegations. In a statement, the company wrote that it complies with all applicable rules, including the new Digital Services Act (DSA), which is intended to ensure more consistent action against illegal content and activities on large online platforms.
Durow “has nothing to hide”. Furthermore, it is “absurd” to hold a platform or its owner responsible for the misuse of the service by third parties.
Numerous countries have already tried to take action against Telegram for its failure to intervene in questionable content – including Germany.
Durow’s current arrest in France could be a signal for other governments to put more pressure on the service again. This could lead to stricter regulations or demands for more control and monitoring on the platform.
The arrest could also result in a loss of trust among users of the service. Telegram has spent years building a reputation as a secure messenger that is valued by its users for its independence.
Durov’s arrest could raise doubts about the future integrity and security of the platform.
How does Russia react to the arrest?
The Russian embassy in France has already taken up the case, said a statement from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow quoted by the Russian state news agency Tass.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the French authorities had been asked to allow consular access to Durov. “The only problem is that Durov also has French citizenship,” she said.