Detention of Telegram founder sparks debate about free speech and criminal activity online

By Joseph Ataman, Lex Harvey, Robert Ilich, and Michelle Velez, CNN

Paris (CNN) — The detention of the Russian-born billionaire founder of Telegram, a messaging app known for its unfiltered content, has sparked debate about freedom of speech and illegal content on the internet.

Pavel Durov, 39, was detained at Paris’s Bourget Airport Saturday on a warrant related to Telegram’s lack of moderation, which has led to money laundering, drug trafficking and the spread of pedophilic content on the platform, according to CNN-affiliate BFMTV.

Durov was traveling to Paris from Azerbaijan aboard his private jet, the network reported.

Telegram, which has about 900 million users, is a crucial communication tool in many countries, used for everything from day-to-day chatting to disseminating government messages.

On Sunday, the Russian Embassy in Paris confirmed Durov’s detention and said it was in contact with the entrepreneur’s  attorney. The French prosecutor’s office has not responded to CNN’s request for comment.

Durov’s detention raises questions about whether tech bosses should be responsible for the content on their platforms, a prospect Telegram called “absurd” in a statement issued Sunday defending its CEO.

“Encrypted communications apps like Telegram are free speech to some and an on-ramp to the dark web to others,” said Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA and a technology expert.

The app is known for its high-level encryption and limited oversight on what its users post, which makes it highly susceptible to disinformation, conspiracy theories, hate and other harmful content.

Telegram’s firm stance against censorship has made it especially prominent in countries where freedom of speech is curtailed, such as Russia, Iran and India. The platform is also favored by White supremacists and terror groups including ISIS.

Telegram is also very popular in Ukraine, where it has become a vital tool for sharing news about the war and warnings about air raids.

Increasing scrutiny

In its Sunday statement, Telegram said Durov had “nothing to hide” and it was “absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.”

“Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving,” it added in the statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The detention is a sign that France is cracking down on the lack of moderation on platforms like Telegram, Clark said.

European Union regulators have ramped up scrutiny of tech giants and invoked a flurry of new laws designed to rein them in.

This year, concerns about foreign disinformation and meddling in European elections prompted EU officials to investigate Meta and set up special agencies focused on combatting disinformation, particularly from Russian trolls.

Durov’s detention quickly prompted criticism from prominent anti-censorship figures including Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Musk posted “#FreePavel” on his social media platform X alongside a video of Durov on Tucker Carlson’s show, where the Telegram founder lauded X for its more open moderation style under Musk.

“France just arrested Pavel Durov, founder & CEO of the encrypted, uncensored Telegram platform. The need to protect free speech has never been more urgent,” Kennedy Jr. wrote on X.

At the end of October 2023, Telegram restricted access to several channels associated with or operated by Hamas, after weeks of scrutiny following its October 7 attacks on Israel.

Durov, often referred to as the “Mark Zuckerberg of Russia,” launched Telegram with his brother Nikolai in 2013 and has a net worth of $9.15 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.

He was born in Russia but left in 2014 after refusing to comply with requests from the Russian government to turn over data on Ukrainian Vkontakte users and now lives in Dubai.

“I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone,” Durov told Reuters in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company, a process that included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco.

— CNN’s Juliana Liu contributed reporting.

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This report has been updated with additional information.