Who is Pavel Durov and what is Telegram?

Pavel Durov, the founder of the popular messaging app Telegram, has recently been arrested in France. This arrest is linked to an investigation regarding the app's moderation practices. Authorities claim that Durov has not done enough to prevent criminal activities on Telegram. In response to the arrest, Telegram issued a statement asserting that it is unreasonable to hold the platform or its owner accountable for the misuse of the app. Durov, who is 39 years old and a billionaire, originally hails from Russia. He is also known for creating VKontakte, a well-known social media platform in Russia. After facing pressure in 2014, he left Russia and established Telegram, which he now operates from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Although he holds citizenship in both the UAE and France, Russia still considers him a citizen. Durov is known to travel frequently across Europe. In a past interview, he expressed his commitment to freedom of speech, stating that he would refuse certain requests from authorities to remove content from Telegram. He emphasized that he would ignore requests that conflict with his values of protecting private communication. Telegram is one of the largest messaging platforms globally, alongside Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. In July, Durov announced that Telegram had reached an impressive milestone of 950 million monthly active users. The app is particularly popular in Russia and Ukraine, and it is also used by pro-democracy groups in countries like Iran and Hong Kong. One of the key features of Telegram is its encryption, which ensures that messages can only be read by the sender and the recipient. However, this encryption is not automatically enabled for all users. A significant distinction between Telegram and other messaging services like WhatsApp is the size of groups that can be created. While WhatsApp limits group sizes to 1,000 members, Telegram allows groups to have up to 200,000 members. This large capacity has raised concerns about the spread of misinformation within these groups. Critics argue that Telegram has become a platform for sharing harmful content, including conspiracy theories, hate speech, and illegal activities. French officials are reportedly investigating whether Telegram has cooperated adequately with law enforcement regarding issues such as drug trafficking, child sexual abuse, and fraud. In the UK, the app has faced scrutiny for hosting far-right channels that played a role in organizing recent violent protests in English cities. Cybersecurity experts have pointed out that Telegram's moderation of extremist and illegal content is significantly weaker compared to other social media platforms and messaging apps. Following Durov's arrest, Telegram defended its moderation practices, stating that they are in line with industry standards and continuously improving. The company also claimed to comply with European Union regulations, including the Digital Services Act, which aims to create a safer online environment. Telegram emphasized that nearly a billion users rely on the app for communication and vital information. They expressed hope for a swift resolution to the situation, stating, 'Telegram is with you all. ' The details surrounding Durov's arrest are still emerging, and it is unusual for the owner of a social media platform to face arrest due to content shared on that platform. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, shared a message on X, calling for Durov's release with the hashtag #FreePavel. Edward Snowden, the American whistleblower who now resides in Russia, also spoke out against Durov's arrest, describing it as an attack on fundamental human rights related to freedom of speech and association. He expressed his disappointment that French President Emmanuel Macron would resort to such measures, stating that it diminishes not only France but the world as a whole.