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Durov, who has an arrest warrant out for him in France, was arrested after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening. According to French media, the investigation is focusing on the lack of moderators on Telegram, which police say allows unhindered criminal activities such as drug trafficking and pedophilia networks on the messaging app.

His arrest has sparked a wave of concern in the tech community and among internet freedom activists. Telegram, which has nearly a billion users, is known for its focus on privacy and encryption – features that have made it popular but also controversial.

The influence of Telegram

Telegram has become one of the leading social media platforms, ranking alongside giants such as Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat. Its influence is particularly felt in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become the main source of unfiltered content about the war and politics surrounding the conflict, but has also been a source of disinformation.

Some analysts describe it as a “virtual battlefield” that is used extensively by both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials and the Russian government.

However, it is an application that still does not meet the requirements of the European Union, which has led to its temporary suspension in some member states, such as Spain.

Durov’s past and his search for freedom

Russian-born Pavel Durov founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on his social media platform VKontakte, and eventually sold the platform.

In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson in April, Pavel Durov explained his departure from Russia and the search for a location for his company, which has stopped in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco, among other places. “I prefer to be free than to take orders from someone,” Durov said, emphasizing his commitment to freedom of expression and privacy.

Impact on Internet freedom

Durov’s arrest raises important questions about the balance between freedom of expression and the need to moderate online content. Telegram has come under criticism for its relatively lax approach to moderation, which has allowed the platform to be used for illegal activities but also provided space for authoritarian regimes to exercise free expression.

This case could have far-reaching implications for social media and messaging platforms around the world, potentially influencing future content moderation policies and how these platforms operate in different jurisdictions.