Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested in France in August 2024 as part of a preliminary investigation into criminal activity allegedly facilitated on the platform.

According to reports, and as discussed by Palki Sharma on her show Vantage, the primary reasons for the arrest were:

Failure to Stop Criminality: French authorities accused Durov of failing to stop various kinds of illegal activity on Telegram due to the platform's alleged lack of moderation.

Specific Criminal Allegations: The investigation and formal charges were linked to the platform being used for:

Complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

Complicity in drug trafficking.

Money laundering and other forms of fraud.

Refusal to cooperate with authorized authorities' requests for information.

The arrest of a tech CEO over crimes committed on their platform is considered by many to be an unprecedented move, sparking a global debate about free speech, government regulation of online content, and a platform's responsibility for its users' actions. Durov was released on bail shortly after being formally charged, but he was placed under judicial supervision and barred from leaving France.