Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of the popular Telegram app, was arrested by French police on August 24. He was traveling from Baku to Paris on his private jet and was detained upon arrival outside Le Bourget airport. French media reports indicate that a warrant had already been issued for Durov by French authorities. So, what led to Pavel Durov’s arrest? Here’s an explanation.
Why is Pavel Durov Arrested?
According to French media, Pavel Durov is under investigation for issues related to the Telegram messaging app. French authorities have charged that Telegram is being widely used for drug trafficking, sharing child sexual content, organized crime, terrorism promotion, fraud, and cyberbullying.
The authorities claim that Telegram has not implemented adequate moderation or taken action against the criminal misuse of its platform. One French investigator commented, “Enough of Telegram’s impunity.”
A recent report by BOOM Live highlights the extensive use of Telegram for distributing child sex abuse material (CSAM) in India. Last year, Telegram banned over 2,000 groups hosting child abuse videos following a notice from the Indian government.
In response to the allegations, Telegram released a statement saying, “Telegram adheres to EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation practices are in line with industry standards and are continuously improving. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe. It is absurd to hold a platform or its owner responsible for misuse of the platform. We await a swift resolution of this matter.”
It’s notable that Telegram argues a platform shouldn’t be held responsible for the misuse of its services. In India, however, the “safe harbor” protection for intermediaries like Telegram can be revoked if platforms fail to comply with local laws.
Meanwhile, a French magistrate has extended Pavel Durov’s detention, which could last up to 96 hours.
The World Reacts to Pavel Durov’s Arrest
Following Pavel Durov’s arrest, Elon Musk voiced his support on X, stating, “POV: It’s 2030 in Europe, and you’re being executed for liking a meme.” Since Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X), the platform has increasingly become a hotspot for misinformation and explicit content due to reduced moderation.
In fact, our tests revealed that X’s Grok image generator allows the unrestricted creation of harmful images. The Grok 2.0 model operates with minimal constraints and lacks safety guardrails. Musk has labeled ‘moderation’ as a propaganda term for ‘censorship.’
Edward Snowden, currently exiled in Russia, commented, “The arrest of @Durov is an attack on fundamental human rights of free speech and association.”
The Russian embassy in Paris has strongly criticized Pavel Durov’s arrest, stating that France is not cooperating with the embassy and is denying access to Durov. Pavel Durov is no longer a Russian citizen. Instead, he has dual citizenship with France and the UAE and currently lives in Dubai. The Telegram app is also registered and headquartered in Dubai.
Is Telegram End-to-End Encrypted?
In the wake of Pavel Durov’s arrest, there has been renewed discussion about Telegram’s encryption model. Telegram does not use end-to-end (E2E) encryption by default. To achieve E2E encryption on Telegram, users must utilize the “Secret Chat” feature. This means that standard chats on Telegram are less secure compared to WhatsApp and Signal.
Furthermore, Telegram’s E2E encryption employs its own proprietary MTProto protocol rather than the industry-standard Signal Protocol. MTProto is a closed-source encryption protocol, and security experts generally recommend using widely trusted protocols rather than proprietary ones.
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