- Macron announces the apprehension of Telegram's creator, not due to political reasons.
The dude who launched Telegram messaging service, Pavel Durov, is currently locked up by the French cops after they nabbed him over the weekend. They've extended his jail time and he might stay in there till Wednesday, as announced by the prosecutor's office on Monday. In the evening, they spilled the beans about his charges. French Prez Emmanuel Macron even chimed in on the situation.
Telegram hit back at the accusations. In a statement, the company stated they stick to all rules, including the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to zap illegal content and activities on big online platforms. According to them, Durov's got no skeletons in his closet and jaunts around Europe regularly. They think it's ludicrous to hold a platform or its owner accountable for abuse by third parties.
Telegram's had its share of criticism for not doing enough to curb hate speech and illegal activities. They argue they're rigorously following industry standards.
Macron posted on platform X on Monday, stating Durov's arrest wasn't a political decision, but part of ongoing investigations. France is all about freedom of speech, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Heavy-duty Accusations
According to the prosecutor's office, Durov's been under investigation for a while now. They suspect he's aided and abetted in drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and child abuse-related offenses by not intervening on Telegram and not cooperating enough with the authorities. They're also accusing him of skimping on authorized surveillance measures. So the French police were on the hunt for him.
Durov got nabbed on Saturday evening at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, as per TF1 and BFMTV and other French media. They quoted sources close to the investigation. The reason for his trip from Azerbaijan to France wasn't clear initially.
The Russian embassy in France is handling his case. According to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry cited by TASS, the French authorities have been asked to give Durov consular access. "The issue is Durov also has French citizenship," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "So France will prioritize him as its citizen." Durov's relationship with the Russian authorities isn't exactly rosy.
No Meeting with Putin, Says Kremlin
The Kremlin denied that Prez Vladimir Putin met with Durov during his visit to Azerbaijan last week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed rumors on social media that Durov chatted with Putin in Baku or even tried to arrange a meeting. "We don't have the full details of Durov's charges yet," said Peskov. So, the Kremlin's keeping mum.
Durov launched Telegram with his bro Nikolai after they'd already launched the Russian Facebook-like platform, Vk.com. Telegram is a major online network in Russia, used by authorities and politicians for communication. It's used by both sides in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The telegram about Durov's arrest sparked outrage within the Telegram community. Many users expressed their support for Durov, citing his commitment to user privacy and freedom of speech.
Despite the heavy-duty accusations against him, Telegram continued to maintain its stance on user privacy, refusing to hand over user data to authorities, even in the face of legal battles.
