The Paris Criminal Court has released details regarding the arrest of Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who was detained on August 24 in connection with a cybercrime investigation.
TechCrunch Reports Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, was arrested by French authorities on August 24. The arrest, which initially came with no official explanation, sparked speculation and concern among Telegram's massive user base and the tech community at large.
However, the Paris Criminal Court did clarify the reasons for Durov's arrest. According to a press release from the court, the Paris prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation into Durov in relation to anti-cybercrime charges on July 8. The investigation is being led by the Cybercrime Combat Centre (C3N) and the National Office for Combating Fraud (ONAF).
The court brought a total of 12 charges against “unknown individuals,” the term used in the French judicial system to refer to those responsible for Telegram. These charges can be divided into four main areas:
1. Conspiracy to store and distribute child sexual abuse material (CSAM) content, facilitate drug trafficking, and facilitate organized fraud and other illegal transactions.
2. Refusing to cooperate with law enforcement agencies when they receive formal requests for information or documents.
3. Failure to formally declare or certify Telegram’s encryption capabilities to French authorities, which is considered a minor violation.
4. In addition to money laundering, “participating in a criminal organisation with the intent to commit a crime or offence punishable by imprisonment for five years or more.”
Allegations related to CSAM content, drug trafficking, and scams are likely attributable to Telegram's moderation process, or lack thereof. With 950 million monthly active users and a small team of just 30 engineers, Telegram has faced criticism over the limitations of its moderation tools and processes.
The money laundering charges may be related to Telegram's recently introduced digital currency, STARS, which can be exchanged for TONCoin, the cryptocurrency the platform uses for various paid features. Investigators suspect Telegram has not complied with “know your customer” requirements for cryptocurrency-related features, potentially facilitating money laundering.
French President Emmanuel Macron has maintained that Durov's arrest is not a political decision, but a matter for an independent judicial system to handle. Durov, who normally lives in Dubai and holds multiple passports, could be detained and questioned by French authorities for up to 96 hours, after which a court will decide whether to formally charge him with some or all of the charges, or whether to continue his detention as a preventive measure.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
