Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested in France

Pavel Durov (40, photo), founder and CEO of online messenger Telegram, which has over 900 million users worldwide and is known for its strong security features, was arrested in Paris, France, on Saturday (local time). French authorities are known to have taken issue with Durov’s negligence regarding Telegram's use as a means for crime, including drug trafficking, cyberbullying, and terrorism promotion.

According to local broadcaster TF1, Durov departed from Azerbaijan on a private jet at around 8 p.m. on Saturday and was arrested by the French Office for the Control of Crimes Against Minors (OFMIN) while entering Le Bourget Airport on the outskirts of Paris. According to the French daily Le Monde, authorities arrested Durov as part of a preliminary investigation into charges of fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promoting terrorism. Reportedly, the investigation will focus on the fact that crimes are being ignored and not addressed on Telegram. Telegram is also widely abused in Korea, including the ‘N Room Incident,’ which produced and distributed sexually exploitative material and used channels for youth drug distribution, but such crimes are difficult to track down due to the service’s strict guarantee of anonymity.

Durov, who was born in Russia, co-founded Telegram with his older brother, Nikolai, in 2013 and earned the nickname “Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg (founder of Facebook).” He is also called the ‘reclusive CEO’ as he rarely gives media interviews.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com