- By Vikas Yadav
- Sun, 25 Aug 2024 12:10 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Telegram CEO and founder Pavel Durov was arrested on Saturday at the Bourget airport in France, the local media reported. The investigation was reportedly focused on the lack of moderators on the messaging platform and the authorities claimed this enabled criminal activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking and pedophilic content without any restrictions.
The Russian-born 39-year-old is the owner of Telegram, which rivals platforms like WhatsApp, Signal, WeChat and more services. According to Forbes, Pavel Durov has an estimated net worth of $15.5 billion. He left Russia in 2014 after denying demands of the government to restrict opposition communities on VKontakte, a social networking app, which Durov sold.
In 2017, he moved to Dubai with the texting app. In August 2021, he became a French citizen. However, the French media claim he also received UAE citizenship and is a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis (a dual island in the Caribbean region) too. Meanwhile, Telegram started witnessing blockages in Russia after it refused to comply with a court order that could grant the state access to user messages.
The platform may also face stringent requirements under the EU online content legislation. "I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov said in April concerning his exit from Russia and while searching headquarters for Telegram. Telegram is among the top five most downloaded apps worldwide and has an active user base of over 950 million. It was founded by Nikolai Durov and Pavel Durov in 2013.
Telegram has been marked as a "virtual battlefield" during the Russia-Ukraine war due to unfiltered content sharing in the region. As per AFP, Durov got the idea to start working on an encrypted messaging platform after he was pressured by the Russian authorities while working at VK. Further, he appreciated Dubai's "neutrality" and business environment in the same interview.