Telegram on Sunday questioned the grounds for France’s detention of Chief Government Officer Pavel Durov, the messaging app’s billionaire co-founder who was taken into custody at a Paris airport over the weekend.
Durov, 39, was detained at Le Bourget on Saturday on suspicion of failing to take steps to forestall legal use of Telegram, in response to Agence France-Presse. His unique detention was prolonged by 24 hours late Sunday, a judicial official mentioned.
Telegram issued a press release on its platform and on X, previously often called Twitter, saying the Dubai-based firm abides by European legal guidelines, together with the Digital Providers Act, and that Durov has “nothing to hide.”
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform,” in response to the assertion. “We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
Durov lives in Dubai and is a citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates, in response to the Telegram web site. He hasn’t beforehand commented on whether or not he has renounced his Russian citizenship.
Russia’s embassy in Paris mentioned it requested “French authorities for an explanation of the reasons and demanded that they ensure the protection of his rights and provide consular access.” Embassy officers are in contact with Durov’s lawyer, in response to the assertion.
France’s Ofmin, an company set as much as fight violence in opposition to minors, issued an arrest warrant for Durov, AFP reported. Ofmin is the coordinating company in a preliminary probe into alleged offenses akin to fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime and promotion of terrorism, in response to AFP.
Toncoin, a cryptocurrency linked to Telegram, sank as a lot as 23% on information that Durov was in custody.
Telegram was created by Durov and his brother Nikolai, a programmer and mathematician. It has about 900 million energetic customers and is among the hottest messaging apps. Its comparatively light-touch method to content material moderation has led to allegations that it’s regularly used for legal exercise and extremist materials.
The Durov brothers made their fortune from creating the Russia-based social community VKontakte in 2006. That platform rapidly turned in style amongst Russians, making it a goal for a billionaire with ties to the Kremlin.
Durov fled the nation in 2014 and bought his stake in VKontakte. He has a web value of greater than $9 billion, in response to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
In an interview with former Fox Information host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov mentioned the stress he confronted from Russian authorities whereas working VKontakte and the scrutiny of Telegram by legislation enforcement companies all over the world.
“I would rather be free, I wouldn’t want to take orders from anyone,” Durov mentioned throughout the interview.
