“Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to cover,” the end-to-end encrypted social media platform famous in a press release issued hours after Durov’s detention in France, including that he “travels continuously in Europe.”
Durov was detained by French authorities on Saturday night at Le Bourget airport exterior Paris. He was understood to be touring in his personal jet from Azerbaijan to the European nation.
The media has used the phrases “detention” and “arrest” interchangeably to explain the actions in opposition to Durov; nevertheless, the 2 phrases are distinct. Detention is a brief holding for investigative functions with out urgent any formal expenses, whereas an arrest happens when an individual is formally taken into custody and charged with a number of crimes.
Durov seems to be solely beneath detention in the mean time. In line with The Guardian, the investigating Justice of the Peace prolonged his detention past Sunday evening, and the questioning might last as long as a most of 96 hours.
“Telegram Abides by EU Legal guidelines”
Though the precise expenses in opposition to Durov are nonetheless unclear, it has been reported that he’s being blamed for breaches associated to the dearth of content material moderation on Telegram. The French authorities are anticipated to problem an official assertion on the case right this moment.
In line with AFP, the French OFMIN, which is tasked with stopping violence in opposition to minors, issued an arrest warrant in opposition to Durov, charging him with offenses together with fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promotion of terrorism.
“It’s absurd to assert {that a} platform or its proprietor are answerable for the abuse of that platform,” said Telegram in its first official assertion on the Telegram Information channel on Saturday.
“Telegram abides by EU legal guidelines, together with the Digital Providers Act—its moderation is inside business requirements and consistently bettering… Virtually a billion customers globally use Telegram as a method of communication and as a supply of significant data,” the official assertion continued.
Telegram’s assertion on Pavel Durov’s detention
TON Sheds $2.7 Billion
In the meantime, Durov’s detention immediately impacted the value of TON, the native cryptocurrency backing The Open Community, the blockchain undertaking linked to Telegram. The token shed about 20 p.c of its worth since Durov’s detention, shedding roughly $2.7 billion.
Durov, who was born in Russia, is a billionaire entrepreneur with an estimated internet value of about $15.5 billion in line with Forbes. He and his brother, Nikolai Durov, based Telegram in 2013, prioritizing end-to-end encryption. Nonetheless, he needed to go away Russia the next yr after refusing to adjust to the Russian authorities’s order to close down opposition communities on the platform.
Freedom to speak privately;Freedom to specific your self publicly;Freedom to construct your apps and companies.#FreePavel pic.twitter.com/SOPxuD6Ooo
— TOKEN2049 (@token2049) August 25, 2024
Telegram has gained huge recognition through the years and competes with social media giants like Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. The platform has over 900 million energetic customers and is influential in Russia, Ukraine, and the republics of the previous Soviet Union.
Durov relocated to the United Arab Emirates in 2017 and moved his firm to the Center Japanese nation. He grew to become a French citizen in August 2021 and, in line with French media, additionally acquired UAE citizenship. Reuters additionally famous that he holds citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation within the Caribbean.
Russia banned Telegram in 2018, however entry to the platform within the nation was hardly hampered. The ban was subsequently lifted in 2020. In the meantime, Telegram’s recognition additionally prompted European authorities, together with these in France, to research safety and information breach issues. EU tech regulators confirmed final Could that they have been involved with Telegram to debate compliance with EU content material moderation laws.
“[Durov] Miscalculated”
Apparently, Russia took a shocking curiosity in Durov’s scenario following his detention by the French authorities. The Russian embassy in France mentioned it’s taking “speedy steps” to make clear the scenario.
“We instantly requested French authorities to clarify the explanations for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular entry be granted. To this point, the French facet is refusing to cooperate on this query,” the embassy in Paris advised the RIA Novosti information company.
“As of right this moment, the French facet has thus far prevented cooperation on this problem,” the Russian embassy in France said on its official Telegram channel. The embassy additional confirmed that Durov’s attorneys are in contact with its officers.
In the meantime, on-line campaigns are ongoing to assist Durov. Even tech billionaire Elon Musk posted an earlier interview of Durov with controversial media presenter Tucker Carlson with the hashtag #FreePavel.
#FreePavel pic.twitter.com/B7AcJWswMs
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
“The French proceed their struggle for ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘European values,’” Russian lawmaker Andrei Klishas wrote on Telegram.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to worldwide organizations in Vienna, additionally identified that Durov’s detention is an instance of “very alarming totalitarian tendencies in nations which used to name themselves democratic.”
The scenario additionally caught the eye of former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who wrote on Telegram (translated from Russian): “He thought that his greatest issues have been in Russia, and left, then additionally receiving citizenship/residence permits in different nations. He wished to be an excellent ‘man of the world’ who lives effectively with no homeland.”
“He miscalculated,” Medvedev added. “For all our now widespread enemies, he’s Russian—and due to this fact unpredictable and harmful… Durov must lastly perceive that the Fatherland, just like the occasions, just isn’t chosen.”
“Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to cover,” the end-to-end encrypted social media platform famous in a press release issued hours after Durov’s detention in France, including that he “travels continuously in Europe.”
Durov was detained by French authorities on Saturday night at Le Bourget airport exterior Paris. He was understood to be touring in his personal jet from Azerbaijan to the European nation.
The media has used the phrases “detention” and “arrest” interchangeably to explain the actions in opposition to Durov; nevertheless, the 2 phrases are distinct. Detention is a brief holding for investigative functions with out urgent any formal expenses, whereas an arrest happens when an individual is formally taken into custody and charged with a number of crimes.
Durov seems to be solely beneath detention in the mean time. In line with The Guardian, the investigating Justice of the Peace prolonged his detention past Sunday evening, and the questioning might last as long as a most of 96 hours.
“Telegram Abides by EU Legal guidelines”
Though the precise expenses in opposition to Durov are nonetheless unclear, it has been reported that he’s being blamed for breaches associated to the dearth of content material moderation on Telegram. The French authorities are anticipated to problem an official assertion on the case right this moment.
In line with AFP, the French OFMIN, which is tasked with stopping violence in opposition to minors, issued an arrest warrant in opposition to Durov, charging him with offenses together with fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organized crime, and promotion of terrorism.
“It’s absurd to assert {that a} platform or its proprietor are answerable for the abuse of that platform,” said Telegram in its first official assertion on the Telegram Information channel on Saturday.
“Telegram abides by EU legal guidelines, together with the Digital Providers Act—its moderation is inside business requirements and consistently bettering… Virtually a billion customers globally use Telegram as a method of communication and as a supply of significant data,” the official assertion continued.
Telegram’s assertion on Pavel Durov’s detention
TON Sheds $2.7 Billion
In the meantime, Durov’s detention immediately impacted the value of TON, the native cryptocurrency backing The Open Community, the blockchain undertaking linked to Telegram. The token shed about 20 p.c of its worth since Durov’s detention, shedding roughly $2.7 billion.
Durov, who was born in Russia, is a billionaire entrepreneur with an estimated internet value of about $15.5 billion in line with Forbes. He and his brother, Nikolai Durov, based Telegram in 2013, prioritizing end-to-end encryption. Nonetheless, he needed to go away Russia the next yr after refusing to adjust to the Russian authorities’s order to close down opposition communities on the platform.
Freedom to speak privately;Freedom to specific your self publicly;Freedom to construct your apps and companies.#FreePavel pic.twitter.com/SOPxuD6Ooo
— TOKEN2049 (@token2049) August 25, 2024
Telegram has gained huge recognition through the years and competes with social media giants like Meta’s WhatsApp and Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. The platform has over 900 million energetic customers and is influential in Russia, Ukraine, and the republics of the previous Soviet Union.
Durov relocated to the United Arab Emirates in 2017 and moved his firm to the Center Japanese nation. He grew to become a French citizen in August 2021 and, in line with French media, additionally acquired UAE citizenship. Reuters additionally famous that he holds citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation within the Caribbean.
Russia banned Telegram in 2018, however entry to the platform within the nation was hardly hampered. The ban was subsequently lifted in 2020. In the meantime, Telegram’s recognition additionally prompted European authorities, together with these in France, to research safety and information breach issues. EU tech regulators confirmed final Could that they have been involved with Telegram to debate compliance with EU content material moderation laws.
“[Durov] Miscalculated”
Apparently, Russia took a shocking curiosity in Durov’s scenario following his detention by the French authorities. The Russian embassy in France mentioned it’s taking “speedy steps” to make clear the scenario.
“We instantly requested French authorities to clarify the explanations for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular entry be granted. To this point, the French facet is refusing to cooperate on this query,” the embassy in Paris advised the RIA Novosti information company.
“As of right this moment, the French facet has thus far prevented cooperation on this problem,” the Russian embassy in France said on its official Telegram channel. The embassy additional confirmed that Durov’s attorneys are in contact with its officers.
In the meantime, on-line campaigns are ongoing to assist Durov. Even tech billionaire Elon Musk posted an earlier interview of Durov with controversial media presenter Tucker Carlson with the hashtag #FreePavel.
#FreePavel pic.twitter.com/B7AcJWswMs
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
“The French proceed their struggle for ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘European values,’” Russian lawmaker Andrei Klishas wrote on Telegram.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s ambassador to worldwide organizations in Vienna, additionally identified that Durov’s detention is an instance of “very alarming totalitarian tendencies in nations which used to name themselves democratic.”
The scenario additionally caught the eye of former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who wrote on Telegram (translated from Russian): “He thought that his greatest issues have been in Russia, and left, then additionally receiving citizenship/residence permits in different nations. He wished to be an excellent ‘man of the world’ who lives effectively with no homeland.”
“He miscalculated,” Medvedev added. “For all our now widespread enemies, he’s Russian—and due to this fact unpredictable and harmful… Durov must lastly perceive that the Fatherland, just like the occasions, just isn’t chosen.”
