French authorities have arrested Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram. The arrest is related to a search warrant for alleged violations of the encrypted messaging platform.
French media, including Le Monde, reported According to Le Monde, citing sources familiar with the matter, Durov was arrested on his arrival from Azerbaijan in his private plane at Le Bourget airport, north of Paris.
Bloomberg also Outstanding a telegram mail By Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, who verified the arrest, adding further validity to the story about the event.
Telegram CEO is under investigation by French authorities
French authorities have launched a preliminary investigation into Telegram, the popular messaging platform, and the Mining Office (OFMIN), the agency in charge of monitoring crimes against minors, has issued a search warrant.
AFP says the investigation covers a spectrum of alleged crimes, including frauddrug trafficking, cyberbullying and organised crime activities facilitated through the site. The analysis stems from concerns about Telegram’s inadequate content control methods.
The Office for Financial Market Integrity (OFMIN) is conducting the investigation against Durov. Durov was reportedly due to appear in court on August 25. Given the seriousness of the charges brought, the accusations against him could lead to a 20-year prison sentence.
The impact on TON
Third-party blockchain system TON, integrated with Telegram, continues to operate as usual despite Durov’s legal objections. A recent comment on TON’s official X account verified the protocol’s stability and underlined the encouraging reaction of its community under the current circumstances. Telegram has yet to mention the founder’s detention.
TON Community Statement
Following the recent news regarding Telegram founder Pavel Durov, we want to assure everyone that the TON community remains strong and fully operational.
As a community committed to freedom of expression and decentralization, we stand firm…
— TON 💎 (@ton_blockchain) August 24, 2024
The platform added: “As a community committed to freedom of expression and decentralization, we stand firmly behind Pavel during this difficult time. Pavel has been a dedicated advocate for these values and we believe his efforts to promote an open and decentralized Internet will continue to inspire millions of people.”
The Telegram-linked TON token experienced a sharp drop of up to 17% following reports of Durov’s arrest in France. Last updateTON is trading just above $5.72, marking a 15% drop in just a few hours.
Community reaction to Telegram CEO’s arrest
On August 24, Tesla CEO and owner of the X platform Elon Musk expressed his support for Durov by posting an earlier interview between Durov and independent journalist Tucker Carlson on his social media, accompanied by the hashtag #FreePavel.
#FreePavel
image.twitter.com/B7AcJWswMs— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 25, 2024
In a recent video statement, Durov praised Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, describing it as a beneficial move for technological advancement and promoting free speech.
Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum answered A post on X by American entrepreneur and investor Balaji Srinivasan, which addresses the issue in depth. While Buterin has publicly criticized Telegram’s encryption policies in the past, he expressed deep concern about the latest allegations against the site.
He highlighted the possible future consequences for freedom of software and communication in Europe and defined the first elements as “very bad and worrying”. As the narrative began to take flight on social media, with Telegram As a trend on the X platform, several eminent people provided their analysis.
Among them, Robert Kennedy Jr., the American politician who suspended his presidential campaign in August 2024, emphasized that Durov’s arrest underscored the critical importance of safeguarding platforms dedicated to free expression and privacy.
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