Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, according to local media reports. Durov, who was arriving from Tehran on his private jet, was detained by local authorities. The investigation against him focuses on the lack of moderators on Telegram, with law enforcement concerned that this has allowed criminal activity to thrive unchecked on the platform.
Telegram, known for its strong encryption, has repeatedly refused government demands for a backdoor key, citing user privacy concerns.Following Durov’s arrest, Telegram’s TON token experienced a sharp decline, dipping as much as 18% before stabilizing slightly. At the time of writing, TON is trading at just above $5.71, down 14% in the past few hours.
The team behind the TON blockchain responded to the news by assuring the community that the network remains fully operational. They posted on X, stating, “Despite the recent developments regarding Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov, the TON community remains strong and fully operational.”
According to Sputnik, Durov is set to appear in court on Saturday evening, facing serious charges. French media say he could face up to 20 years in prison. The charges are related to Telegram’s lack of content moderation and Durov’s failure to cooperate with French authorities.
Telegram was created by Durov and his brother Nikolai, a programmer. With around 900 million active users, it’s one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. However, its light content moderation has led to accusations that it’s often used for criminal activities and spreading extremist material.
It has also grown with the help of community contributors and integration into Telegram. This has boosted TON’s price by over 300% in the past year. However, this connection is now causing TON’s price to drop.
