CEO Pavel Durov of messaging app Telegram was arrested as part of an investigation into criminal use of the platform. Telegram itself says it has nothing to hide.

Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, was arrested by French police on Saturday evening after landing his private jet at an airport north of Paris, according to French media. The CEO of Telegram has been under fire for some time. The messaging app is accused of a lack of moderation on the platform, allowing propaganda and fake news to run rampant. According to the Ministry of Justice, this makes him an accomplice to crimes committed using Telegram.

Arrest

Popular messaging app Telegram is said to have inadequate moderation to curb criminal practices on the messaging platform. Telegram itself denied failing to do adequate moderation in a response to ITdaily to previous news stories about the messaging app. The messaging platform is currently under investigation and Durov has been arrested on a warrant for Telegram-related violations.

Fake news and propaganda

The messaging app is a breeding ground for fake news and propaganda. Like-minded people can anonymously join groups with up to 200,000 users. During the Corona period, the wildest conspiracy theories circulated and pro-Russian fake news was also spread en masse via the app.

The app would not cooperate with law enforcement authorities regarding drug trafficking, sexual content and fraud. In Belgium, the messaging app has been placed under supervision. The BIPT takes on the role of watchdog and checks whether the messaging app complies with its legal obligations, but does not control the content circulating on the messaging platform.