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September 02, 2024

Telegram Founder in Hot Water

Telegram Founder in Hot Water
Durov in Berlin in 2013.  TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram and VKontakte, was arrested in France on August 24.

A statement from the French prosecutor's office reported that Durov was detained at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris as part of a criminal investigation launched on July 8 by the Cybercrime Department.

The investigation is connected to ongoing allegations that Telegram is being used for illegal activity including drug trafficking. Durov, who has French citizenship, is not currently in custody, but is not permitted to leave French territory until the investigation concludes. 

Telegram has been something of a "wild west" of social media platforms, and has become a go-to space for developments in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Tags: franceVKontakteTelegram

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