After being released from prison, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is now under judicial supervision in France. He is required to deposit a €5 million bond and is prohibited from leaving French territory. Durov must also report to the police station twice a week in compliance with his bond conditions. The charges against him include “complicity in the management of an online platform allowing illegal transactions in an organized gang,” money laundering, and refusal to provide essential information to authorities.
The Paris Judicial Court officially charged Durov with these offenses after he failed to respond to requests from various investigative services concerning drug trafficking, child sexual content, and fraud investigations. JUNALCO, the French anti-organized crime authority, initiated an investigation into the possible criminal liability of Telegram’s leaders for these offenses. The French Center for the Fight Against Digital Crime (C3N) and the National Anti-Fraud Customs Office (ONAF) are responsible for carrying out subsequent investigations related to Telegram’s failure to register its encrypted messaging services with the French government.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is well-known for his commitment to freedom of speech and reluctance to moderate content on the platform. However, child safety groups criticize Telegram for becoming a breeding ground for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and for not actively cooperating in efforts to combat it. While Telegram claims to use a combination of moderators, artificial intelligence, and user reports to remove CSAM from public channels, there is no clear method for reporting illegal activities in private chats.
Reactions to Durov’s Arrest
Durov’s arrest has sparked reactions from both free speech advocates and figures in the tech industry. Many view his arrest as a violation of human rights and question whether leaders of other social media platforms would face similar consequences for misuse by malicious actors. Some speculate that French authorities are attempting to regulate or access communications on Telegram. Despite these speculations, French President Emmanuel Macron has clarified that Durov’s arrest is part of a judicial process with no political motivations behind it.
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