Popular messaging application Telegram's Russian-born Emirati CEO, Pavel Durov, has been arrested at the Le Bourget Airpor airport in Paris, France.
Durov was arrested by the authorities in the country as he arrived from the Central Asian nation of Azerbaijan.
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Telegram CEO Arrested
According to reports, he was arrested under a warrant for offences pertaining to the messaging application that he runs.
The 39-year-old executive was apprehended by the anti-fraud office, operating under French customs.
The specific nature of the said offence is yet to be publicly disclosed by the French authorities.
There are many theories that are making the rounds at this point, but none of them have been officially verified.
Telegram is one of the most renowned applications in the world. It is said to have a greater concentration in the former USSR or Soviet nations, including Russia, where Durov was born.
Durov launched Telegram in 2013 and left Russia in 2014 after refusing to cooperate with Putin's Kremlin orders to shut down opposition communities on his social media network, VKontakte, which he sold.
Durov launched Telegram in 2013. |
Executive Of a Powerful Platform
Telegram has garnered popularity among some for its privacy features, which are said to rival one of its main competitors, WhatsApp. The application is also actively used by many to conduct online piracy. This in turn is also used in transferring and sharing media and documents that contravene copyright laws.
According to some reports, behind Meta's WhatsApp, Messenger and the Chinese communication platform WeChat, Telegram occupies a prominent position with over 900 million active monthly users around the globe. | File
The application has also garnered attention because of its extensive use in conflict-unrest-ridden regions in the past.
According to some reports, behind Meta's WhatsApp, Messenger and the Chinese communication platform WeChat, Telegram occupies a prominent position with over 900 million active monthly users around the globe.
In terms of monthly downloads, the application has improved its position with 36.7 million monthly downloads.
