It is reported that the founder of Telegram was arrested in France for the policy of moderation

Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested Saturday night at an airport a few kilometers north of Paris, according to French media outlets BFMTV and TF1. Both outlets report that the billionaire executive arrived from Azerbaijan on a private plane, and that he was subject to a French search warrant regarding the lack of agents of the program, and its use in drug trafficking, money laundering, and the distribution of child abuse. property.

So far, neither the French authorities nor Durov have issued statements about the arrest. However, the Telegram noted on X, a former Twitter account, that “Durov has nothing to hide,” while Russian officials reportedly criticized the arrest as an attack on free speech. X owner Elon Musk also posted about moderation and free speech following the reports.

A post on Telegram’s X account said the company “complies with EU regulations” and its standardization efforts are “within industry standards.” The post continued, “It is nonsense to say that a platform or its owner is responsible for abuse of that platform.”

The company added that it is “waiting for a quick decision.”

Durov was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) and is a legal citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates. Before Telegram, the technology manager put together VKontakte, Russia’s answer to Facebook. Durov reportedly sold his stake in VKontakte and left Russia in 2014 due to state demands. The Telegraph is currently headquartered in Dubai, and Durov said in April that the app has nearly 1 billion users.

Durov is 39 years old and worth an estimated $15.5 billion, according to Forbes. In July, the tech executive said he was donating sperm, had “over 100 children,” and planned “open source. [his] DNA.”

Telegram has reportedly censored content in the past, including Hamas channels and “public calls for violence” related to the attack on the US Capitol. However, governments have often clashed with Telegram over its stance on content moderation and privacy, and its use by protesters. Russia tried to block Telegram after the company refused to hand over encryption keys in 2018. A year later, Durov said that China launched a cyber attack against the anti-protest service in Hong Kong. Cuba blocked the program in 2021 amid protests over the government’s response to Covid-19, and two years later, a Spanish court briefly blocked Telegram’s access following copyright complaints from local media groups.