Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, was arrested at an airport near Paris on Saturday as part of a preliminary investigation into the app’s lax moderation and failure to prevent possible criminal activities, according to Reuters, citing French news outlets BFM and TF1. Telegram is accused of not cooperating with police, and Durov was taken into custody upon arriving at Le Bourget airport on a private jet. The popular social media platform, widely used in Europe and Asia, was approaching one billion active monthly users earlier this year, with features like end-to-end encryption and support for large groups facilitating uncensored content sharing. The ongoing investigation is concerned with Telegram’s alleged inaction against drug trafficking, child sexual abuse materials, and fraudulent activities.
