Much Ado about Durov

French Authorities Set an Important Precedent for Tech Companies

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested a week ago after arriving in Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France. French authorities have charged Durov with complicity in a wide variety of criminal activities as well as failure to comply with requests from French law enforcement. As a holder of both French and Russian citizenship, Durov is being investigated as a French citizen and will not be eligible for support from the Russian embassy. While the motivations behind his trip to France are unclear, Durov’s arrest and criminal charges represent the first time that the owner of a social media network has been held accountable for the activities of its users. Additionally, Durov’s arrest raises the possibility of European law enforcement agencies gaining access to Telegram’s operations - a major threat to the cyber criminals that use the application and the Russian military alike. 

There are an estimated 900 million users on Telegram. In Russia and much of Eastern Europe, Telegram is used for everything from personal messaging and news updates to ecommerce and streaming. The app has a wide range of functionality and robust support for bots, which makes it a viable indigenous replacement for many services provided by western tech companies. 

Telegram has become one of the largest sources of information regarding the War in Ukraine and conflict in the former Soviet Union as individual soldiers and organized formations alike share footage and personal accounts of their experiences on the battlefield. However, Telegram’s supposed support for privacy and encryption was the main factor that distinguished it from its peers following its launch in 2013. Durov supposedly denied multiple requests by the Russian government to provide access to data from Ukrainian users on Russian social network VK during Euromaidan and relocated outside of Russia. Since then, Telegram has faced a potential block from the Russian censors. In light of this supposed commitment to personal privacy, Telegram has become a hotspot for illicit activity and bad actors across the internet. If a crime involves a computer, you can bet there’s a user or group on Telegram dedicated to it. Additionally, the app has become a gathering place for extremists that have been kicked-off of social media. Telegram has been used by neo-nazis and far-right figures to share media, such as podcasts and video interviews, as well as host group chats and organize events. This includes individuals like Milo Yiannopolous and Nick Fuentes as well as organized militias and hate groups.