Telegram CEO indictment overview:
- Who: French authorities filed preliminary charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov.
- Why: French authorities allege Durov allowed criminal activity on Telegram, including drug trafficking and distribution of child sex abuse material. The platform is further accused of refusing to provide information and documents to investigators, as required by French law.
- Where: Officials detained Durov Aug. 24 at Le Bourget airport outside Paris, France.
Authorities in France reportedly preliminarily indicted Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for allegedly allowing criminal activity on his cloud-based messaging and social media platform.
French authorities say Durov allowed Telegram to be used for drug trafficking and child sex abuse material distribution. The platform also allegedly refused to provide information and documents to investigators when asked, as required by French law, AP News reports.
Officials detained Durov, a French citizen, Aug. 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris, according to AP News, which reports the 39-year-old was released Aug. 28 following four days of questioning. Authorities then filed preliminary charges.
As part of his release, the French government ordered Durov to pay €5 million in bail. He must also report to a police station twice per week and cannot leave the country, Law360 reports.
Preliminary charge against Telegram CEO punishable by up to 10 years in prison
The initial preliminary charge against Durov — being complicit in managing an online platform used for illicit transactions by an organized group — carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a €500,000 fine, AP News reports.
Durov is reportedly the only individual implicated in the case at this time, according to French prosecutors, who did not exclude the possibility that others may be under investigation.
The indictment caused backlash from free speech advocates and the Russian government, with some officials of the latter arguing the arrest of Durov, who was born in Russia, is politically motivated, according to AP News.
Telegram was among several companies affected by a massive data breach in January that exposed 100 billion records. The incident, which reportedly leaked an estimated $26 billion in data, was dubbed “the mother of all breaches.”
Do you agree with the French authorities’ decision to indict Telegram CEO Pavel Durov? Let us know in the comments.
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