On Wednesday, French authorities indicted Telegram CEO Pavel Durov on six charges related to illicit activity on the app.
The charges include complicity in managing an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions in organized groups and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement authorities. Additionally, Durov faces charges of complicity in the distribution of programs or data designed for organized gang distribution of child pornography and drug trafficking.
Durov was released from custody on a €5 million bail but is prohibited from leaving France and must check in at a police station twice a week. The Paris prosecutor’s office noted that Telegram “appears in multiple cases involving various offenses (child sexual abuse offenses, trafficking, online hate)” and criticized the platform for its “almost total failure to respond to judicial requests.”
This assessment was corroborated by other French investigation departments, public prosecutors’ offices, and Eurojust partners, leading to an investigation into the possible criminal responsibility of Telegram’s managers.
The indictment has sparked a diplomatic furor involving Paris, Moscow, and Abu Dhabi, and ignited a fierce debate about online free speech and technology regulation.
A preliminary investigation was opened in February, and French authorities issued warrants for both Durov and his brother Nikolai in March.
Following his arrest at Paris’ Le Bourget airport on Saturday night, Durov’s lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, stated, “The only statement I’d wish to make is that Telegram is in conformity with every aspect of European norms on digital matters. It is absurd to think that the head of a social network is being charged.”
Telegram, a Dubai-based messaging app, has faced longstanding scrutiny over accusations of fraud, drug trafficking, organized crime, terrorism promotion, and cyber-bullying.
In response to Durov’s arrest, Telegram strongly denied any wrongdoing, asserting in an online statement that it complies with all EU laws and that Durov “has nothing to hide.”
