Telegram founder Durov allowed to depart France following arrest

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of social messaging app Telegram, has been allowed to fly house to Dubai as French authorities proceed their unprecedented case in opposition to him.

The tech billionaire was arrested in August after being accused of failing to correctly reasonable his app to scale back criminality.

Mr Durov denies failing to cooperate with legislation enforcement over drug trafficking, youngster sexual abuse content material and fraud. Telegram has beforehand denied having inadequate moderation.

It’s the first time a tech chief has been arrested for criminality happening on their platform.

Mr Durov stated in a publish on his Telegram channel: “The method is ongoing nevertheless it feels nice to be house.”

The 40-year-old was arrested in August 2024 as he arrived in Paris on his non-public jet, and French judges initially didn’t permit him to depart France.

However the workplace of the Paris prosecutor instructed the BBC on Monday that “the obligations of judicial supervision” had been suspended between 15 March and seven April.

No additional particulars got in regards to the circumstances of his launch from France.

Mr Durov lives in Dubai and was born in Russia, the place he has citizenship, in addition to in France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis.

Telegram is especially widespread in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet Union states in addition to Iran.

Telegram is utilized by round 950 million individuals worldwide and has beforehand positioned itself as an app focussed on its customers’ privateness, moderately than the conventional insurance policies prioritised by different world social media firms.

However reporting from the BBC and different information organisations highlighted criminals utilizing the app to promote medication in addition to provide cybercrime and fraud providers and, most not too long ago, youngster sexual abuse materials.

It led one knowledgeable to model it “the darkish net in your pocket“.

The agency has beforehand stated his arrest is unfair, and he shouldn’t be held responsible for what customers do on the platform.

From his house in Dubai, Mr Durov thanked the French judges for letting him go house.

He additionally thanked his legal professionals for his or her “relentless efforts in demonstrating that, in the case of moderation, cooperation, and preventing crime, for years Telegram not solely met however exceeded its authorized obligations”.

Nevertheless, for the reason that arrest, Telegram has made a collection of adjustments to the way in which it operates.

It has joined the Web Watch Basis programme, which goals to assist discover, take away and report youngster sexual abuse materials being shared on-line.

It has additionally introduced IP addresses and cellphone numbers of those that violate its guidelines can be handed over to police in response to legitimate authorized requests.

And it has revealed transparency stories about how a lot content material is taken down – a regular business observe it had beforehand refused to adjust to.