Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, has been permitted to return to Dubai as French authorities continue their unprecedented legal case against him.
The tech billionaire was arrested in August on allegations of failing to effectively moderate his app to curb criminal activity. Durov denies accusations of not cooperating with law enforcement regarding drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content, and fraud. Telegram has previously rejected claims of inadequate moderation.
This marks the first time a tech leader has been arrested for crimes occurring on their platform.
In a post on his Telegram channel, Durov stated, “The process is ongoing, but it feels great to be home.”
The 40-year-old was detained in August 2024 upon arriving in Paris on his private jet, with French judges initially preventing him from leaving the country. However, the Paris prosecutor’s office informed the BBC on Monday that “the obligations of judicial supervision” were suspended between March 15 and April 7. No additional details were provided regarding the conditions of his release.
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Durov resides in Dubai and holds citizenship in Russia, France, the United Arab Emirates, and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Telegram is especially popular in Russia, Ukraine, former Soviet states, and Iran, with approximately 950 million users worldwide. The app has marketed itself as focused on user privacy, in contrast to the policies of other major social media platforms. However, reports from the BBC and other outlets have indicated that criminals use the app to promote drugs, cybercrime, fraud services, and, more recently, child sexual abuse material. One expert described it as “the dark web in your pocket.”
The company has stated that Durov’s arrest is unjust and that he should not be held accountable for user actions on the platform. From his home in Dubai, Durov expressed gratitude to the French judges for allowing his return and thanked his lawyers for their “relentless efforts” in proving that Telegram has consistently met and exceeded its legal obligations regarding moderation and crime fighting.
Since his arrest, Telegram has implemented several operational changes, including joining the Internet Watch Foundation program to help locate and remove child sexual abuse material online. The company also announced it would share the IP addresses and phone numbers of users who violate its rules with law enforcement in response to valid legal requests and has begun publishing transparency reports detailing content removals, a practice it previously resisted.
SOURCE: BBC
