Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Released From Custody, Court Appearance Awaited

Telegram messaging app CEO has been freed from custody, said the French prosecutors on Wednesday. However, according to the Associated Press, a court appearance is awaited. On August 24, 39-year-old Durov, the founder of the messaging app was arrested at a French airport for 'lack of moderation' on his app.

“An investigating judge has ended Pavel Durov's police custody and will have him brought to court for a first appearance and a possible indictment,” a statement from the Paris prosecutor's office said.

Why was the Telegram CEO arrested?

Durov was wanted in France because 'lack of moderation' of the content on Telegram which allegedly allowed the platform to be used for unethical activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking, and dissemination of illegal content.

Durov, who now lives in Dubai and became a French citizen in August 2021, founded Telegram, which he claims has over 900 million users.

'Nothing to hide': Telegram denies charges

Following the detention of Durov in France, the messaging platform denied all charges of wrongdoing against him. In a post on X, Telegram App stated that it abides by EU laws and has "nothing to hide."

"Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act — its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving. Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe," read the official statement issued by the messaging platform.

Telegram row: Indian govt launches investigation

In view of the recent allegations pertaining to the social media platform's misuse in several criminal activities including extortion and gambling, the Indian government has launched an investigation concerning the Telegram application. Based on the findings of the probe, the messaging app, which has over 5 million registered users in India, could also be banned.

As per a report by Moneycontrol, commenting on the probe, a government official said "The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) (under MHA) and MeitY have been looking into P2P communications on Telegram."

"We will examine the kind of material that we get and based on our laws, we will come to a conclusion," the official said.