"On August 24, CEo of the messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested at the Paris Airport-Le bourget." - Celeste eagleton, 8th grade
CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov Arrested
On August 24, CEO of the messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested at the Paris Airport-Le Bourget. He was detained after his private plane landed and will be investigated for drug trafficking, fraud, terrorism, cyberbullying, spreading inappropriate images of children online, and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement. Mr Durov will also be investigated about misinformation being spread on Telegram. Graham Fraser, a technology reporter for BBC News, says “Prosecutors in Paris also said the 39-year-old billionaire has not been remanded in custody, but placed under judicial supervision, and has to pay a €5m (£4.2m; $5.6m) deposit.” Pavel Durov has to show up at a French police station twice a week and is not allowed to leave French territory. He holds citizenship of the UAE and France, but Russia has said it still regards him as a citizen. His citizenship of France allows the country to put Mr. Durov under judicial supervision.
What is Telegram?
Telegram is a messaging app launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother, Nikolai. Before Telegram, they both founded the Russian social network VK, and left it in 2014 since it had been taken over by the government. In July, Pavel said Telegram had reached 950 million monthly active users. While WhatsApp limits group sizes to 1,000 users, Telegram allows up to 200,000 in a group, making it popular for pro-democracy groups to use it in Iran and Hong Kong. But these huge messaging servers also allowed people to spread propaganda about the Russia and Ukraine war. Marta Biino and Diego Mendoza, news writers for Semafor, claim “...the encrypted app has since become a dominant communications tool in the Russia-Ukraine war, with both sides accused of posting propaganda.”
Making Telegram more suspicious, critics have already been arguing about the possibility of conspiracist, neo-Nazi, or pedophilic content being on Telegram. BBC News notes, “Vyacheslav Volodin - a prominent Russian politician and ally of Vladimir Putin - accused the US of being behind the arrest of Mr Durov.” Western governments have criticized the messaging app for its lack of content moderation, so most Americans don’t know about Telegram or use the messaging app. This has led to many critics blaming the U.S. for pulling the strings of propaganda in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Elon Musk Involvement
Marta Biino and Diego Mendoza, news writers for Semafor, claim Elon Musk has been an outspoken defender of Pavel Durov since his arrest. Elon has been criticizing the Telegram arrest, and warning that it heralds “dangerous times” for nations where free speech is constitutionally protected. The billionaire posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, about needing to be more careful of his whereabouts after Mr Durov’s arrest. Already, Elon Musk has been embroiled in a legal battle in Brazil, where a Supreme Court judge threatens to suspend X in the country for suspicions of the content on X.
Conclusion
Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, was arrested in Paris for an investigation of the content on his platform and his involvement in spreading misinformation. Since they are being so secretive about the investigation, could they be hiding something? Telegram is a popular messaging platform for people in areas such as Ukraine and Russia, and this investigation may affect all users. Critics blame the U.S. for pulling the strings of propaganda in the Russia-Ukraine war and being behind the arrest of Pavel Durov. X has a similar reputation for misinformation, and could get in trouble too.
On August 24, CEO of the messaging service Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested at the Paris Airport-Le Bourget. He was detained after his private plane landed and will be investigated for drug trafficking, fraud, terrorism, cyberbullying, spreading inappropriate images of children online, and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement. Mr Durov will also be investigated about misinformation being spread on Telegram. Graham Fraser, a technology reporter for BBC News, says “Prosecutors in Paris also said the 39-year-old billionaire has not been remanded in custody, but placed under judicial supervision, and has to pay a €5m (£4.2m; $5.6m) deposit.” Pavel Durov has to show up at a French police station twice a week and is not allowed to leave French territory. He holds citizenship of the UAE and France, but Russia has said it still regards him as a citizen. His citizenship of France allows the country to put Mr. Durov under judicial supervision.
What is Telegram?
Telegram is a messaging app launched in 2013 by Pavel Durov and his brother, Nikolai. Before Telegram, they both founded the Russian social network VK, and left it in 2014 since it had been taken over by the government. In July, Pavel said Telegram had reached 950 million monthly active users. While WhatsApp limits group sizes to 1,000 users, Telegram allows up to 200,000 in a group, making it popular for pro-democracy groups to use it in Iran and Hong Kong. But these huge messaging servers also allowed people to spread propaganda about the Russia and Ukraine war. Marta Biino and Diego Mendoza, news writers for Semafor, claim “...the encrypted app has since become a dominant communications tool in the Russia-Ukraine war, with both sides accused of posting propaganda.”
Making Telegram more suspicious, critics have already been arguing about the possibility of conspiracist, neo-Nazi, or pedophilic content being on Telegram. BBC News notes, “Vyacheslav Volodin - a prominent Russian politician and ally of Vladimir Putin - accused the US of being behind the arrest of Mr Durov.” Western governments have criticized the messaging app for its lack of content moderation, so most Americans don’t know about Telegram or use the messaging app. This has led to many critics blaming the U.S. for pulling the strings of propaganda in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Elon Musk Involvement
Marta Biino and Diego Mendoza, news writers for Semafor, claim Elon Musk has been an outspoken defender of Pavel Durov since his arrest. Elon has been criticizing the Telegram arrest, and warning that it heralds “dangerous times” for nations where free speech is constitutionally protected. The billionaire posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, about needing to be more careful of his whereabouts after Mr Durov’s arrest. Already, Elon Musk has been embroiled in a legal battle in Brazil, where a Supreme Court judge threatens to suspend X in the country for suspicions of the content on X.
Conclusion
Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, was arrested in Paris for an investigation of the content on his platform and his involvement in spreading misinformation. Since they are being so secretive about the investigation, could they be hiding something? Telegram is a popular messaging platform for people in areas such as Ukraine and Russia, and this investigation may affect all users. Critics blame the U.S. for pulling the strings of propaganda in the Russia-Ukraine war and being behind the arrest of Pavel Durov. X has a similar reputation for misinformation, and could get in trouble too.