Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday evening at Bourget Airport outside Paris. According to French media reports, Durov arrived in France on his private jet. The reason for the arrest is said to be the failure to moderate criminal content on Telegram. Police allege that Telegram has failed to prevent criminal activities due to lack of content moderators, due to which action has been taken against Durov.
At present, there has been no official response from Telegram or the French police on this matter. The Russian Foreign Ministry has raised the question of whether Western NGOs (non-governmental organizations) will demand Durov’s release.
Terrorists’ favourite app
During the Paris attacks in 2015, ISIS members used Telegram to promote their activities. However, in November 2015, Telegram blocked 78 public channels being used to spread ISIS propaganda. Durov then said that ‘the right to privacy is more important than our fear of bad events like terrorism.’
Start and development of Telegram
Telegram was launched in 2013 by Pavel and Nikolai Durov. The app started as an encrypted messaging system, which Pavel developed to avoid spying by security agencies in Russia. After its launch, Telegram gained rapid popularity and by 2020 it had millions of users.
Competition and Future of WhatsApp
After WhatsApp’s privacy policy change in 2021, Telegram got a big opportunity and its downloads increased. Currently, Telegram has the highest market share in Russia and the company has also launched a premium subscription service, which has increased its revenue.
Durov’s arrest has raised new questions about Telegram’s future, but it is clear that Telegram has continued to focus on its development and security.