France Durov's arrest in Paris fuels debate about Telegram
Pavel Durov is revered like a saint by his followers as the founder of the messenger service and messaging network Telegram. The fact that the 39-year-old, who lives in Dubai and preaches uncompromising internet freedom in his rare public appearances and interviews, has now been arrested in Paris during a special operation is causing international outrage - and debate about Telegram.
According to Durow, the social network, which is controversial due to its use by criminals, now has almost one billion users, is installed as an app on hundreds of millions of cell phones - and continues to gain influence. This is another reason why many consider the French judiciary's action against Durow to be politically motivated.
French President Emmanuel Macron rejects the idea that the prosecution of the Russian billionaire is about politics. In addition to his Russian citizenship, Durov also has French citizenship, including that of his new home country, the United Arab Emirates. He has long been targeted by the secret services in the West and in Russia. However, his arrest because of Telegram's possible role in organized crime is seen by many as an attack on fundamental freedoms.
Telegram used as a free medium in dictatorships
In France, Durov is suspected of being complicit in drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud and several offenses related to child abuse through a lack of intervention in Telegram and insufficient cooperation with the authorities. He is also accused of failing to cooperate with the authorities in legally permissible wiretapping measures.
Many consider this to be an absurd pretext for taking action against Telegram in general. Opposition members in particular, who often use Telegram as the last free means of communication in dictatorships, are shocked.
In his exile in Germany, Russian opposition activist Ilya Yashin, who was released in a prisoner exchange this month, criticized the fact that the accusations against Durov raised doubts. He believes that Durov is neither a criminal nor obliged to cooperate with the French authorities. "A person has the right not to cooperate with the secret services if he is not breaking the law himself," he says. Yashin called on France to release Durov for the duration of the trial.
Telegram played a key role in the organization of mass protests in Belarus in 2020 against ruler Alexander Lukashenko. At the time, Durov used technical tricks to ensure that messages could still be sent via Telegram even when mobile communications were heavily down-regulated - where other networks failed.
The whistleblower Edward Snowden, who is being persecuted by the USA and lives in Russia, is astonished. Durov's arrest is an attack on the human rights to express oneself freely and to assemble. "I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has resorted to taking hostages in order to gain access to private communications," he wrote on the X network. This is damaging to France and the world.
Platform is criticized and rejects accusations
Telegram has long been criticized as an opaquely organized platform on which criminals, including terrorists, drug dealers and warmongers, can organize themselves much more easily than on other social networks. Durov left Russia years ago because he refused to cooperate with the authorities in his home country. He reported in an interview about advances from secret services in the USA, for example, and once complained that he did not feel free in the West.
Instead of settling in Germany, for example, after leaving Russia, Dubai ultimately became his new home, where he has turned Telegram into a global player with a comparatively small team. Telegram rejects the idea that the owner of the platform can be held responsible for its misuse by third parties. Durow has nothing to hide, Telegram complies with EU laws and moderates the network in accordance with IT industry standards, the company said.
Durow's fans consider the well-trained loner and eccentric IT manager, who recently outed himself as a sperm donor and biological father of more than 100 children, to be just as important in the world of social networks as the US American Mark Zuckerberg, who controls Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, among others, with his Meta Group. Durov once became famous as the founder of VK, a network similar to Facebook, which he eventually sold under pressure from forces close to the Kremlin and moved abroad.
The fact that the Western free world, of all places, could now be Durov's undoing is a source of surprise and satisfaction in his home country of Russia, which has repeatedly been criticized for repression, including against the media. Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, has been complaining for days that human rights organizations warned Moscow years ago to block Telegram.
Kremlin opponents and supporters demand Durov's release
Russian military bloggers, who use Telegram intensively for the information war during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were also surprised that France, of all countries, is now striking. The pro-Kremlin forces also sensed an attempt by the West to eliminate an extremely talented Russian as competition for Western messenger services.
What is special about this case is that Kremlin supporters and opponents are working together for Durov's freedom - albeit for different reasons. The majority of the fragmented liberal Russian opposition sees no evidence of Durov's possible proximity to the Kremlin and considers Telegram to be a free medium. But there are also other voices.
Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who is one of Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin's fiercest critics, suspects that the power apparatus is involved with Durov. After attempts to block Telegram, the state, which Kasparov describes as a "fascist aggressor", is using the network more intensively than ever. The Kremlin has just demonstratively denied rumors that Putin and Durov recently met in Azerbaijan.
As much as opinions differ, France's action against the Telegram founder has already had one concrete consequence. The network portal TechCrunch pointed out the growing number of Telegram users since Durov's arrest. Masses of people have downloaded the Telegram app, not only in France but also in other parts of the world.
