The CEO and co-founder of messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been detained in France since Saturday night, causing a political and diplomatic controversy.
Durov, born to affluent parents in Russia, had a childhood primarily spent in Italy. He holds both French and Russian passports, as well as citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis.
In response to his arrest, Telegram issued a statement on Monday asserting that Durov has nothing to hide and frequently travels within Europe. Upon his arrival in Paris, he was accompanied by his girlfriend, Juli Vavilova, a 24-year-old gamer and crypto coach based in Dubai.
Durov left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with demands to shut down opposition communities on VKontakte (VK), another social media platform that he later sold.
Unlike WhatsApp by Meta, which imposes a limit of 1,024, Telegram’s group chats allow up to 200,000 participants.
Critics have accused these group chats of being responsible for the dissemination of disinformation.
Although Telegram offers encrypted communication, it is not enabled by default, and users need to manually activate it as an option.
Encryption also does not apply to group chats, distinguishing Telegram from applications like Signal and Facebook Messenger.
Telegram boasts over 950 million active users. It is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet countries. However, its popularity has grown in Western Europe and North America, notably following WhatsApp’s changes to its terms and conditions in 2021.
In France, Telegram is widely used by government officials, including those within the presidential palace and the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the police and prosecutors.
The arrest of Telegram’s CEO in France falls under an ongoing judicial investigation and should not be construed as a political decision. The final ruling on the matter will be determined by the judges involved.
Emphasizing the well-being of its citizens, safeguarding their interests, and providing comprehensive support is a crucial priority for the UAE, the country’s authorities affirmed.