Telegram Founder Paul Durov Arrested in France
Paul Durov, the founder of the Telegram messaging app, was detained by French authorities at an airport near Paris. The French-Russian billionaire was taken into custody by officers from France’s anti-fraud office after arriving at Bourget Airport on a flight from Azerbaijan.
Reasons for Arrest
Durov, 39, was wanted under a French arrest warrant due to the lack of moderation on Telegram, which allegedly led to the platform being used for money laundering, drug trafficking, and sharing pedophilic content. He had not regularly traveled to France and Europe since the arrest warrant was issued.
Background
Paul Durov, who is also the founder of the VKontakte social network, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to share VKontakte users’ data with Russian security services. He later moved to Dubai and became a naturalized French citizen in August 2021. Telegram, which he says has over 900 million users, is widely used by Russian speakers and has become a key platform for sharing information about the war in Ukraine.
Doubts Revealed
Telegram -: Telegram is a messaging app that people use to send messages, photos, and videos to each other. It’s like WhatsApp or Signal.
Paul Durov -: Paul Durov is the person who created Telegram. He is a businessman from Russia and France.
detained -: Detained means that the police stopped him and took him into custody. It’s like being arrested.
French authorities -: French authorities are the police and government officials in France who make sure people follow the law.
allegations -: Allegations are claims or accusations that someone has done something wrong, but it hasn’t been proven yet.
complicity -: Complicity means being involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing.
drug trafficking -: Drug trafficking is the illegal trade of drugs. It means selling or moving drugs that are against the law.
crimes against children -: Crimes against children are very bad things done to kids, like hurting them or treating them badly.
fraud -: Fraud is when someone tricks others to get money or something valuable. It’s like cheating.
moderation -: Moderation means checking and controlling what people post or share on a platform to make sure it’s safe and follows the rules.
VKontakte -: VKontakte is a social media platform, like Facebook, that Paul Durov also created. It’s very popular in Russia.
Dubai -: Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates, known for its modern buildings and luxury lifestyle.
French citizen -: A French citizen is someone who is officially recognized as a member of France. They have rights and responsibilities in that country.
