Was he on his way to Macron’s dinner and ended up in jail? Pavel Durov, the founder of the Telegram messenger, will remain in custody for at least 48 hours, according to the French news agency AFP. At the same time, Western media are revealing new details of the case.
Komersant ukrainskyi
has been looking into what Durov’s detention means and what fate awaits Telegram.
Unexpected details of Durov’s visit to France were revealed by the French newspaper Le Canard enchaîné. According to the newspaper, Pavel Durov told the police during his detention at Le Bourget airport that he was supposed to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. The founder of the Telegram messenger was supposed to have dinner with Macron, the report said. In a comment to the newspaper, the Elysee Palace officially denied this information. That evening, Macron was allegedly in Le Touquet, in northern France.
At the same time, The Wall Street Journal published information about previous meetings between Durov and Macron. Citing its sources, the newspaper claims that in 2018, Emmanuel Macron met with Durov for lunch and offered to move Telegram’s headquarters to Paris. Durov allegedly refused at the time, the WSJ writes.
In any case, after being detained at Le Bourget airport in France on 24 August, Durov can be held in custody for a maximum of four days. Therefore, the judge must either press charges or release the founder of the popular messenger.
The situation is of particular importance amid active discussions on the regulation of digital platforms in the EU. In particular, in France, data security and privacy issues are very sensitive, especially after the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
What is Durov accused of?
French law enforcement officials are keeping the details secret, but it is known that the detention is related to suspicions of violating European Union legislation on personal data protection. Telegram, which has more than 700 million users worldwide, has been repeatedly criticised for its lack of privacy and transparency.
According to TF1, the main reason for Durov’s detention is his unwillingness to cooperate with the French authorities in moderating dangerous content on the platform.
Telegram, in turn, released an official statement in response to the detention of its CEO Pavel Durov and stressed that the platform complies with European laws and moderation standards.
“Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and frequently travels around Europe. It is absurd to claim that the platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of this platform. Telegram is used by almost a billion people around the world as a means of communication and a source of important information. We look forward to a speedy resolution of this situation.” – Telegram
The world’s reaction
The detention of Pavel Durov in France has caused a significant response both in the global political community and among well-known entrepreneurs.
Elon Musk
The owner of the social network X spoke out in support of the Telegram founder, launched the hashtag FreePavel (Free Pavel) and posted Durov’s interview with the notorious Republican journalist Tucker Carlson.
“In Europe, 2030, you are executed for liking a meme” – Elon Musk
Tucker Carlson
The controversial American journalist Carlson blamed the West for Durov’s arrest.
“He was arrested by a Western country, an ally of the Biden administration and an enthusiastic NATO member. Pavel Durov is sitting in a French prison today, a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intelligence agencies,” Tucker Carlson
European Union
The European Commission has stated that Durov’s arrest in France has nothing to do with the company’s obligations under the EU Digital Services Act.
“Criminal prosecution is not among the potential sanctions for violating the EU Digital Services Act. It does not define what is illegal and does not establish any criminal offence,” the European Commission said
France
French President Emmanuel Macron avoided direct comments on the detention, noting only that his country has a tough stance on ensuring the protection of citizens’ personal data.
“This is in no way a political decision. This decision is made by judges”, – Emmanuel Macron
russia
The Kremlin criticised Durov’s detention, calling it a politically motivated act. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will defend the rights of its citizens abroad and protect them from “unjust actions” of other states.
Dmitry Medvedev suggested that the French authorities detain Zuckerberg as well, as he is allegedly involved in the activities that Durov is accused of on Facebook
Will Durov’s detention affect Telegram’s operations in Ukraine and globally?
Durov’s detention could have serious consequences not only for his personal freedom, but also for the global regulation of digital platforms, analysts say.
Vitalik Buterin, the founder of the Ethereum cryptocurrency, expressed concern over Durov’s detention on his X page.
“However (given the current information: he is apparently accused only of not ‘moderating’ and not disclosing user data), it looks very bad and raises concerns about the future of software and communications freedom in Europe,” Vitalik Buterin
Ukraine has repeatedly called for the regulation of Telegram. In particular, commenting on Durov’s detention, this thesis was echoed by Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech.
“All over the world, stricter regulation of Telegram is being introduced. We can and should do it much earlier. We are the ones at the forefront. Nothing will stop the decision, which is due in 2022,” Yaroslav Yurchyshyn
Yurchyshyn added that Russia is doing its best to free Durov. At the same time, the billionaire is cooperating with the investigation so that he is not extradited to Russia.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy also commented on what conclusions Ukraine can draw from the Durov case.
“I don’t know the details of this case, frankly. Today, it does not affect the fact that Telegram operates in Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said
The President added that in such sensitive issues, we are working as a future country of the European Union – there should always be dialogues and agreements among EU countries.
Interesting facts about Telegram
Telegram was founded by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai Durov in 2013.
From the very beginning, Telegram focused on security and privacy. It uses a proprietary encryption protocol called MTProto, which provides a high level of protection for user data.
Telegram has become popular for its “channels” feature, where you can create public or private news channels that can have an unlimited number of subscribers.
Telegram has been banned in several countries, such as Iran and China, due to the company’s refusal to cooperate with governments on access to user data. In Russia, it was also banned for several years, but continued to operate through workarounds.
Unlike many other platforms, Telegram does not display ads. The company was funded by Pavel Durov until 2020. Later, Telegram started raising funds through the sale of bonds.
Author – Anastasia Fedor