Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested by French police at Le Bourget airport, near Paris, on his way back from Azerbaijan's Baku. The warrant accuses Durov of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
The arrest is part of an investigation by France's Office for Preventing Violence Against Minors into crimes, including the sharing of child sexual abuse content on Telegram. Durov faces allegations of fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, money laundering, organised crime and promotion of terrorism.
The investigation stems from Telegram's refusal to moderate content posted on the platform. Tech billionaire Elon Musk and US whistleblower Edward Snowden have condemned the "government censorship" and and the "infringement on freedom."
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