Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was detained by French authorities in relation to a search warrant targeting alleged violations of the encrypted messaging platform.
According to Le Monde and other French media outlets, Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport north of Paris after landing in his private jet, which had traveled from Azerbaijan.
Le Monde cited sources close to the case that confirmed Durov’s arrest. At the same time, a Bloomberg report noted that Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also corroborated the information in a Telegram post.
Related: Breaking: Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France
Search warrant issued
According to reports, France’s L’Office Mineurs (OFMIN) — the agency that oversees crimes against minors — issued a search warrant as part of a preliminary investigation into Telegram.
The AFP reported that the alleged offenses range from fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying and organized crime. Numerous reports note that the investigation is rooted in Telegram’s alleged lack of content moderation.
OFMIN is coordinating the investigation into Durov and Telegram. The messaging platform’s CEO was reportedly expected to appear in court on Aug. 25. Some reports claim that Durov could face up to 20 years in prison due to the nature of the alleged offenses.
Impact on Telegram, TON
The Open Network (TON), the third-party blockchain protocol that the messaging platform has integrated into its service, claims to remain fully operational in the hours after Durov’s arrest.
An official post on TON’s X account stated that the protocol was unaffected and its community was rallying behind Durov.
“As a community committed to freedom of speech and decentralization, we stand firmly by Pavel during this challenging time.”
Telegram has yet to comment on Durov’s arrest. Cointelegraph has reached out to the messaging platform to confirm the details of the incident and if there is any risk of the platform having to hand over user data to French authorities.
Related: Toncoin open interest surges 32% following Pavel Durov’s arrest
Liberté? Elon Musk, Vitalik Buterin react
Tesla founder and X owner Elon Musk took to his social media platform on Aug. 24 and shared a previous interview between Durov and independent journalist Tucker Carlson with the hashtag #FreePavel.
#FreePavel
pic.twitter.com/B7AcJWswMs— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
In the video, Durov said that Musk’s takeover of Twitter had been a positive development for technological innovation and the provision of free speech.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin also weighed in on the topic in reply to an X post by American entrepreneur and investor Balaji Srinivasan.
Buterin said he has previously criticized Telegram’s encryption standards but said that the initial information relating to charges against the platform looked “very bad and worrying for the future of software and comms freedom in Europe.”
Other prominent figures took to X to weigh in on the developing story as Telegram began to trend on the social media platform. American politician Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who suspended his United States presidential campaign in August 2024, said Durov’s arrest highlighted the need to protect platforms that enable free speech and privacy.
Related: RFK Jr says he is suspending, not terminating, presidential campaign
US wanted to control Telegram — Durov
In his interview with Carlson, Durov claims that Telegram had garnered unwanted attention from the FBI and other US security agencies whenever he had entered the country.
The Telegram CEO claimed that US officers had attempted to hire one of his engineers during his last visit to the country.
“There was an attempt by cybersecurity officers or agents to secretly hire my engineer behind my back. They were curious to learn which open-source libraries are integrated into Telegram’s app, and they tried to persuade him to use certain open-source tools that would serve as backdoors,” Durov told Carlson.
PAVEL DUROV: THE U.S. WANTED TO CONTROL TELEGRAM BETTER
“We get too much attention from the FBI and other security agencies whenever we come to the U.S.
The last time I was in the U.S., I brought an engineer who works for Telegram.
There was an attempt by cybersecurity… pic.twitter.com/DUpz4j5TpX
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 24, 2024
The Telegram CEO added that FBI agents frequently stopped him upon entry into the US and asked him questions about the messaging service’s operations.
Telegram’s privacy under the spotlight
As details surrounding Durov’s arrest and the investigations into the platform remain scant, questions about the privacy features of Telegram have been raised by industry groups.
An X post from open-source privacy and security-focused mobile operating system firm GrapheneOS highlighted concerns over Telegram’s access to group and one-on-one chats.
Telegram has full access to all of the content of group chats and regular one-to-one chats due to lack of end-to-end encryption. Their opt-in secret chats use homegrown end-to-end encryption with weaknesses. Deleting the content from the app likely won’t remove all copies of it.
— GrapheneOS (@GrapheneOS) August 24, 2024
GrapheneOS claimed that Telegram has full access to the content of group chat’s direct messages due to a lack of end-to-end encryption. The post claims Telegram’s secret chat features use homegrown end-to-end encryption with weaknesses and that deleting content from the app may not remove all traces of the messages.
GrapheneOS added that Telegram could potentially provide individual and group messages to authorities in France.
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