{"id":28245,"date":"2024-08-30T04:48:48","date_gmt":"2024-08-30T08:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=28245"},"modified":"2024-08-30T04:48:48","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T08:48:48","slug":"telegram-boss-banned-from-leaving-france-in-criminal-probe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/08\/30\/telegram-boss-banned-from-leaving-france-in-criminal-probe\/","title":{"rendered":"Telegram boss banned from leaving France in criminal probe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Telegram boss and founder Pavel Durov has been placed under formal investigation in France as part of a probe into organised crime on the messaging app, Paris prosecutors say.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Durov, 39, has not been remanded in custody, but placed under judicial supervision, and has to pay a \u20ac5m (\u00a34.2m; $5.6m) deposit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The Russian-born billionaire, who is also a French national, also has to show up at a French police station twice a week and is not allowed to leave French territory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Durov was\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/ckg2kz9kn93o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">first detained upon arrival at Le Bourget airport<\/a>\u00a0north of Paris last Saturday under a warrant for offences related to the app.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-12l5xzx-LinksComponentWrapper e3eyuya0\" data-component=\"links-block\">\n<section class=\"ssrcss-msolhr-LinksWrapper e3eyuya5\">\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-mh3hvv-InContentLinksGrid e3eyuya3\" role=\"list\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-r2yl4r-PromoItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-s1qr4x-Promo e1vyq2e80\" data-testid=\"promo\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1enzf19-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1d68cot-PromoContent exn3ah99\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah96\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cx2x5yw8z7yo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Who is Pavel Durov and what is Telegram?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-r2yl4r-PromoItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-s1qr4x-Promo e1vyq2e80\" data-testid=\"promo\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1enzf19-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1d68cot-PromoContent exn3ah99\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah96\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cly9xqnn3v4o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">In Russia, questions swirl over arrest of Telegram boss<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-r2yl4r-PromoItem e3eyuya1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-s1qr4x-Promo e1vyq2e80\" data-testid=\"promo\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1enzf19-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1d68cot-PromoContent exn3ah99\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1f3bvyz-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah96\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cp8ne8r1yy0o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Telegram says arrested CEO Durov has &#8216;nothing to hide&#8217;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In Wednesday&#8217;s statement, the Paris prosecutors said Mr Durov was put under formal investigation over alleged offences that included:<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5f7ft-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Complicity in the administration of an online platform to enable illicit transactions by an organised gang<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Refusal to communicate with authorities<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Complicity in organised criminal distribution of sexual images of children<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In France, being put under formal investigation does not imply guilt or necessarily result in a trial &#8211; but it indicates that judges consider there is enough of a case to proceed with an investigation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Durov has so far made no public comments on the latest developments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">His lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, said Telegram complied in every respect with European digital regulations and was moderated to the same standards as other social networks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It was &#8220;absurd&#8221; to suggest his client could be involved &#8220;in criminal acts that don&#8217;t concern him either directly or indirectly&#8221;, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It is unprecedented for the owner of a social media platform to be arrested because of the way in which that platform is being used, and it has fuelled a fierce debate online about freedom of speech and accountability.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">We have previously seen tech bosses hauled in front of lawmakers for confrontational grillings about their practices and failings, but not met by law enforcement at airports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Elon Musk, the owner of X, has defended Mr Durov, arguing that moderation is a &#8220;propaganda word&#8221; for censorship. He has called for Mr Durov&#8217;s release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Chris Pavlovski, the founder of a controversial video-sharing app called Rumble, said he had fled Europe following Mr Durov\u2019s detention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While most of the world\u2019s largest social networks do engage with national and international bodies when it comes to serious criminal offences such as the sharing of child sexual abuse images, Telegram is accused of ignoring them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The firm, which is now headquartered in Dubai, insists that its moderation tools meet industry standards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that France was deeply committed to freedom of expression, and that the decision to hold Mr Durov was &#8220;in no way&#8230; political&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Huge groups of up to 200,000 people can share and comment on information and content on Telegram &#8211; WhatsApp on the other hand limits its maximum group size to just over 1,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While Telegram messages can be encrypted, meaning that only the sender and recipient can view them, this is not activated by default and has to be manually switched on to private chats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">On Monday evening, Paris prosecutors said Mr Durov was being held in custody as part of a cyber-criminality investigation. In response, Telegram said Mr Durov had &#8220;nothing to hide&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Russia has warned France against turning the case into what it described as a &#8220;political persecution&#8221;, having previously said that without serious evidence the charges could be construed as an act of &#8220;intimidation&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;We know that the president of France has denied any connection [to the case] with politics,&#8221; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;But on the other hand, certain accusations are being made.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky said that the charges against Mr Durov sounded &#8220;wild&#8221; and that the Telegram CEO was a &#8220;hostage of the dictatorship of democracy of the collective West&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Telegram is ranked as one of the major social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It was founded in 2013 and is particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet Union states, as well as Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Russian war correspondent Sasha Kots wondered whether users would ever &#8220;trust Telegram as before&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Kots, who regularly posts updates about the war in Ukraine to his large Telegram following, suggested that French and Western authorities might now have access to the network&#8217;s encryption keys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;The truth is that no matter how events around Durov develop now, one can never be sure of the security of the messenger,&#8221; he wrote on Telegram.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The BBC revealed on Wednesday that Telegram &#8211; which has more than 950 million registered users &#8211;\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cy54905nv0go\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has repeatedly refused to join international programmes<\/a>\u00a0aimed at detecting and removing child abuse material online.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The BBC has contacted Telegram for comment about its refusal to join the child protection schemes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Durov, who also founded the popular Russian social media company VKontakte, left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on the platform.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He also holds passports of St Kitts and Nevis and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c985ppy0znyo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Telegram boss and founder Pavel Durov has been placed under formal investigation in France as part of a probe into organised crime on the messaging app, Paris prosecutors say. Mr Durov, 39, has not been <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/08\/30\/telegram-boss-banned-from-leaving-france-in-criminal-probe\/\" title=\"Telegram boss banned from leaving France in criminal probe\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28246,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109,2,6],"tags":[2913,10623,5396,2740,10624,442,7779],"class_list":{"0":"post-28245","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headline","8":"category-news","9":"category-world","10":"tag-france","11":"tag-le-bourget-airport","12":"tag-organised-crime","13":"tag-paris","14":"tag-pavel-durov","15":"tag-russia","16":"tag-telegram","17":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28245"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28247,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28245\/revisions\/28247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}