Telegram founder and CEO arrested in France

Rumors swirl that lack of content moderation has angered authorities

The founder and CEO of made-in-Russia messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested in France on Saturday – and subjected to further detention the next day – apparently over his company's alleged failure to follow content moderation laws and assist with several criminal investigations.

News of Durov's arrest was first reported by French commercial TV network TF1.

Russia's embassy in France wrote that after reading reports of Durov's detention it sought further information from French authorities but had yet to receive any.

Subsequent reports suggest Durov was the subject of awarrant issued by France’s L'office mineurs (OFMIN) – an agency that combats violence against minors. The warrant apparently pertains to cyber bullying, conspiracies to traffic drugs, promotion of extremism, and other criminal conspiracies discussed on Telegram. The warrant reportedly allows extended detention for Durov.

Telegram also used X to share its view of the matter, opening with "Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving."

The Xeet also states "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

That's not entirely true. The European Union's Digital Services Act allows the bloc to designate service providers with more than 45 million users within its borders as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP). That status brings with it increased responsibility for content hosted on the platform.

Telegram is not currently designated as a VLOP, but authorities have reportedly investigated the service to determine if its user count has topped 45 million – they evidently feel it may have under-reported the true extent of its European user base.

Like almost all end-to-end encrypted messaging apps, Telegram attracts some unsavory types who enjoy the anonymity it affords. The service has therefore been a player in the endless debate around the need to balance personal privacy and providing law enforcement authorities with access to some messages under limited circumstances.

Telegram is also notable for having its roots in the Russian city of St Petersburg – making it one of the few online services from that country to achieve global prominence.

But Telegram didn't enjoy operating out of Russia. According to an FAQ, "The Telegram team had to leave Russia due to local IT regulations and has tried a number of locations as its base, including Berlin, London and Singapore. We're currently happy with Dubai, although are ready to relocate again if local regulations change."

The FAQ also offers the following couplet:

Q: There's illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?

A: All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.

That laissez-faire approach may be what got Durov into trouble.

This is a developing story and The Register will update it – or post others – as further details emerge. ®