Telegram has done solid work over the past 11 years, garnering nearly a billion users, and its founder and CEO Pavel Durov has become a veritable tech icon in certain circles—a Russian-born Mark Zuckerberg, if you will.
While Telegram has seen incredible growth over the years, the elusive platform has also earned a bad reputation with governments due to its lax content moderation and alleged involvement in promoting terrorism, disinformation and propaganda.
These allegations culminated this weekend when Durov was arrested by French authorities investigating illegal child abuse on Telegram.
Since his arrest at Paris' Le Bourget airport, political pressure has mounted around his arrest. The arrest of the CEO of one of the world's most used instant messaging platforms has provoked reactions around the world – some positive, others less so.
The Russian-born billionaire, who holds citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France according to the Telegram website, has been living in Dubai since 2017, several years after leaving Russia under pressure from the Kremlin's security services.
France's Emmanuel Macron, who like other senior French politicians is a frequent user of Telegram, rejected claims that Durov's arrest was politically motivated. The investigation into Telegram's violations is part of a broader probe that does not only target the messaging platform, he said in a post on X.
Elon Musk, another tech billionaire and self-proclaimed champion of freedom of speech, responded to Macron's post and asked for more details on Durov's arrest.
I saw false information about France after the arrest of Pavel Durov.
France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation and to entrepreneurship. And it will remain so.
In a constitutional state …
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) 26 August 2024
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has requested access to the Telegram founder and said it is “following the case closely.” In the past, the Gulf state has granted citizenship to a few high-ranking individuals, although stricter rules apply to foreigners.
#UAE closely follows the case of Pavel Durov
The United Arab Emirates is closely following the case of its citizen Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, who was arrested by the French authorities at Paris-Le Bourget airport, and stresses that the United Arab Emirates has submitted a request to the Government of…
– Afra Al Hameli (@AfraMalHameli) 26 August 2024
The Russian embassy in France is also seeking access to Durov (it is unclear whether Durov still holds Russian citizenship), although sentiment in the country toward the billionaire is mixed. The Kremlin appears to be proceeding cautiously, as the extent of the allegations against Durov remains unknown.
“We have not heard any official statements. Before I can say anything at all, we need clarity,” a Kremlin spokesman told the media.
Still, experts from Russian state television and other news agencies have strongly condemned the arrest. Durov's supporters have staged protests outside the French embassy in Moscow, demanding the billionaire tech star's release. On Tuesday, a senior Russian official said the US was trying to control Telegram by using France as a proxy.
Russia had previously tried to ban Telegram because it feared that the platform would share security-related information, but that has not stopped Russians from using the platform.
One of the reasons Russia is laying claim to the situation is Telegram's prominent role in the Ukraine war since early 2022. The messaging app served as a means of communication for both countries involved in the war. Telegram played several roles in this. It helped people learn about what was happening on the ground before news reports, but it is also a hotspot for Russian state propaganda and disinformation.
The encrypted chat platform has been targeted by governments for a variety of reasons, with Germany imposing a $5 million fine in 2022 for failing to comply with local laws, while Brazil blocked the app when it refused to block the account of a far-right congressman.
Telegram did not return immediately AssetsThe company said in an X-post on Sunday that the allegations against Durov were “absurd” and that he had “nothing to hide.”
The fate of the Telegram boss hangs in the balance until Wednesday, when prosecutors must either release Durov or charge him. In the meantime, the tech communities and all governments involved will be watching closely to see what happens.
