Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been formally charged by French prosecutors with “complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software” and for “refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity on the Telegram” app he founded. Durov, who was arrested outside of Paris and released on €5 million bail, is now barred from leaving the country and must stay in France under court monitoring, checking in at a police station twice a week while the investigation unfolds, which could take months or even years. This means that Durov, known for frequently moving around and working from different countries, will be stuck in France unless the charges are dropped. Telegram has denounced the charges as “absurd” and argued that Durov should not be held accountable for the actions of the app’s users.
