French Authorities Accuse CEO of Telegram for Aiding Criminal Activities on Platform
Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, was officially accused by French prosecutors on Wednesday for facilitating various criminal actions on the widely used messaging platform. This incident occurred following his detention last Saturday, as reported.
The Russian-born executive, who also holds French citizenship, is facing allegations related to assisting in the dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and supporting organized crime, illegal financial transactions, illegal drug trade, and fraudulent activities.
Furthermore, Durov has been formally charged with “failure to provide information or documents, as requested by competent authorities, essential for the execution and operation of lawful interceptions” according to a press release translated into English.
The 39-year-old CEO was apprehended at Le Bourget airport in northern Paris at 8 p.m. local time on Saturday after landing from a private aircraft. In order to avoid pretrial custody, Durov has been directed to pay a bail of €5 million. However, he is prohibited from leaving the country and must inform the authorities twice weekly.
This arrest came about in relation to a legal inquiry involving an undisclosed individual that was initiated in France on July 8, 2024. This investigation was primarily triggered by Telegram’s lenient content moderation policies that have permitted the proliferation of extremist and malicious activities on the platform. An initial investigation reportedly began in February 2024.
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, stated, “The noticeable lack of responsiveness from Telegram to legal requests was brought to the attention of the cybercrime fighting section (J3) of JUNALCO (National Jurisdiction for the Fight against Organized Crime, within the Paris prosecutor’s office), particularly by OFMIN (National Office for Minors).” Beccuau further mentioned that various French investigative bodies and prosecutors, along with Eurojust partners, including those from Belgium, shared a similar perspective.
Additional allegations against Durov include –
- Provision of cryptographic services intended to ensure confidentiality without a compliance declaration
- Supply and importation of cryptographic tools that do not exclusively guarantee authentication or integrity verification functions without previous declaration
This incident represents a rare case where a top executive of a company has been held accountable for the content posted by users on a major platform with more than 950 million monthly active users. Durov previously served as the CEO of the Russian social media network Vkontakte, which he established in 2006, before launching Telegram in 2013.
In response to Durov’s arrest, Telegram conveyed in a statement that he has “no secrets to hide,” asserting that it is unreasonable to blame a platform or its owner for the misuse of that platform. The company also stated that it routinely publishes reports outlining the removal of numerous groups and channels associated with child abuse from its messaging service.
It’s important to highlight that the platform’s terms of service explicitly specify that no requests concerning illicit content exchanged in Telegram chats and group conversations are processed.
According to reports by Politico, French authorities had issued arrest warrants for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and his co-founder brother Nikolai in March 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron clarified on Monday that Durov’s detainment was not politically motivated but part of an autonomous investigation.
The Wall Street Journal brought to light on Wednesday the revelation that Durov’s iPhone was compromised by French intelligence in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates in 2017 as part of a covert operation code-named Purple Music, as disclosed by sources familiar with the situation.
“French security officials were deeply concerned about the Islamic State’s exploitation of Telegram to recruit members and plot attacks,” mentioned the report.
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