Summary
Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, was arrested by French authorities on August 28, 2024, upon his arrival in Paris, facing serious charges related to the platform’s alleged facilitation of illegal activities, including drug trafficking and child abuse. Following his arrest, Telegram announced a significant policy shift, agreeing to share user IP addresses and phone numbers with law enforcement upon valid requests, a stark contrast to its previous stance of protecting user privacy.
Durov’s arrest stemmed from accusations that Telegram failed to adequately address illegal content on its platform, which has grown to nearly 1 billion users. French prosecutors charged him with enabling the distribution of child sexual abuse material, organized fraud, and associating with criminals. In the wake of these charges, Durov acknowledged the platform’s challenges in managing its rapid growth and stated that Telegram is implementing new measures to remove unsafe content and discourage criminal activity. This includes changes to its search functionality and the removal of features that may facilitate illegal use.
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