Durov is accused of complicity in a slew of cybercrime stemming from his failure to implement content material moderation on Telegram.
French authorities have printed the fees dealing with Pavel Durov, the CEO and founding father of Telegram, the favored encrypted messaging app.
An Aug. 26 press launch from the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Workplace confirmed that Durov is accused of complicity in a slew of cybercrimes for failing to take care of a content material moderation program on Telegram.
The fees embrace “complicity [in] acquiring, transporting, possessing, offering, or selling narcotic substances… complicity [in] web-mastering an online platform to enable illegal transactions by an organized group… complicity [in] possessing child pornography, [and] complicity [in] distributing, offering, or making available pornographic images of minors in an organized group.”
Durov can be accused of refusing to supply info requested by authorities, facilitating cybercrime, organized fraud, and cash laundering, and providing instruments for unregulated cryptocurrency.
The authorized time period “complicity” refers to aiding, helping, encouraging, or involvement with the fee of a criminal offense. Though Durov shouldn’t be instantly accused of committing the crimes, his determination to not implement content material moderation on Telegram is alleged to have enabled prison exercise.
The press launch added that Durov’s arrest comes as a part of a judicial inquiry opened final month involving twelve alleged prison violations.
Durov is at present in prolonged custody after getting arrested in Paris on Saturday. His detention was prolonged for as much as 96 hours or till Aug. 28 to permit a preliminary investigation.
The magistrates overseeing Durov’s detention assigned the Middle for Combating Digital Crimes (C3N) and the Nationwide Anti-Fraud Workplace (ONAF) to hold out the investigation.
Governments react
On Aug. 26, French President Emmanuel Macron stated Durov’s arrest was a part of a judicial investigation and never politically motivated.
“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” Macron tweeted. “It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”
The arrest has brought about stress between France and Russia. Russian officers expressed their outrage over Durov’s detention and requested clear explanations from France.
“We immediately asked French authorities to explain the reasons for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted,” the Russian embassy said in a statement. “The French side is refusing to cooperate on this question.”
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is also closely monitoring the situation. Durov holds Emirati citizenship.
“The UAE has said it is closely following the case of Emirati citizen Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram app, who was arrested by French authorities at Bourget Airport, and has submitted a request to the French government to provide him with all consular services urgently,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a public statement.
France and the UAE share a strong military relationship, with France maintaining a naval base in Abu Dhabi and Emirati forces using French-manufactured military equipment, including Leclerc tanks and Rafale fighter jets.
Durov was born in Russia and holds citizenship in multiple countries, including the UAE, France, Russia, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Hackers retaliate
Following Pavel Durov’s arrest, several hacker groups have launched cyberattacks on French websites. Pro-Russian hacker groups including UserSec and People’s Cyber Army are behind the denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that have taken multiple French government websites offline.
“UserSec, in collaboration with the Individuals’s Cyber Military, claims to have focused a number of web sites in France,” stated FalconFeeds, a risk intelligence agency. “Among the many affected websites are the Court docket of Cassation and the Administrative Court docket of Paris, which displayed the message “#FreeDurov.”
The Individuals’s Cyber Military additionally stated they focused the web site of France’s Nationwide Company for the Security of Medicines and Well being Merchandise (ANSM) with the identical hashtag.
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