Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested in France: Accused of Failing to Prevent Criminal Content, App Was Once the First Choice for Terrorists
Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the instant messaging and community app Telegram, was arrested on Saturday evening at Le Bourget Airport outside Paris. According to French media reports, Durov arrived in France on his private jet.
The French police are investigating the lack of content moderators on Telegram. According to the police, the shortage of moderators has allowed criminal activities to continue unchecked on the messaging app. This has led to action being taken against CEO Durov.
So far, there has been no response from Telegram regarding the matter. Neither the French Ministry of the Interior nor the police have issued any statements. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has questioned whether Western NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) will demand Durov’s release.
Telegram: A Tool Favored by Terrorists
According to media reports, members of ISIS used Telegram for propaganda purposes during the 2015 Paris attacks. When questioned about this, Pavel Durov, the CEO of Telegram, responded by stating, “I believe that the right to privacy is more important than our fear of bad things like terrorism.”
By October 2015, ISIS had garnered up to 9,000 followers on its channel. In November 2015, Telegram blocked 78 public channels that were being used for ISIS propaganda.
App Launched in 2013
Launched in 2013, Telegram has been downloaded over 1 billion times worldwide. The app has seen the highest number of installations in India, Indonesia, and Russia.
After the conflict with Russia began in 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky relied on Telegram to address the nation. Telegram has also been a preferred platform for terrorist organizations such as ISIS.
Company Founded by Two Brothers
Telegram was started in 2013 by two Russian brothers, Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov. Initially launched for iOS and later for Android, their primary goal in creating the app was to provide a secure and reliable messaging platform to the world. To achieve this, they had to leave their home country.
A Company Left Before Telegram
In 2006, Pavel Durov, a graduate of Saint Petersburg State University, designed a social media platform named VKontakte, commonly known as VK. The name translates to ‘In Touch’ in Russian.
Originally created for university students, the platform quickly gained popularity among the general public. As a result, Pavel’s older brother, Nikolai Durov, joined the company as the Chief Technology Officer.
Departure from VKontakte and Life After
In December 2011, following the announcement of the parliamentary election results in Russia, security agencies suspected that protesters were using VKontakte (VK) to coordinate their activities. The government and security agencies demanded that the company remove opposition leaders’ pages, but Pavel Durov refused, instead tweeting a picture of a dog as his response.
During this period, Mail.ru expressed interest in fully acquiring VK. In 2013, a video went viral claiming that Pavel had run over a police officer’s leg with his Mercedes and fled the scene. Pavel clarified that he was not driving the car.
Soon after, the police raided Pavel’s home and VK’s office. A few days later, United Capital Partners acquired 48% of VK’s equity. In January 2014, Pavel sold his remaining 12% share to Mail.ru and resigned as CEO, leaving Russia.
After leaving the country, Pavel Durov obtained citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis by donating $250,000 to the Sugar Industry Diversification Foundation. He also deposited $300 million in Swiss banks.
Creation of Telegram to Avoid Surveillance
During the controversy surrounding VK, Pavel Durov developed Telegram as an encrypted messaging system. The purpose of creating Telegram was to enable private communication without the surveillance of Russian security agencies.
Telegram was launched on August 14, 2013, for iOS, and on October 20, 2013, for Android. Pavel funded and provided the infrastructure for the app, investing all the money he received from selling shares in his previous company. His brother Nikolai focused on coding.
By October 2013, the app had 100,000 daily active users. By March 2014, Telegram had grown to 35 million monthly and 15 million daily active users. By 2016, the app was handling 150 billion messages daily.
After leaving Russia, several media reports indicate that Pavel Durov traveled to various countries with his initial team of 15 employees. In 2017, he established Telegram’s headquarters in Dubai. According to the official Telegram page on LinkedIn, the company still has fewer than 50 employees.
The War Between Telegram and WhatsApp
In January 2021, WhatsApp introduced a significant change to its privacy policy, requesting permission to share user data with its parent company, Facebook. This sparked a debate over privacy, which benefited Telegram.
By August 2021, Telegram had achieved 1 billion downloads worldwide. By June 2022, the app surpassed 700 million monthly users. As of July 2023, Telegram is the most popular messaging app in Russia, holding a 46.8% market share in the country as of December 2023.
Service Continues Despite Lack of Profit
Despite not making any profit until 2020, seven years after its launch, Telegram continued to maintain its service. In 2022, the company introduced a premium subscription service, which quickly attracted over 100,000 subscribers within a month. This led to a significant increase in the company’s revenue.
In an interview, founder Pavel Durov stated that Telegram is expected to become profitable within the next year. He also revealed that some companies had valued Telegram at up to ₹25,000 crore for a potential acquisition, but he refused to sell the company. Currently, the company’s revenue is approximately ₹600 crore.
