France Reveals Charges Levied Against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov

French authorities have published the charges facing Pavel Durov, the CEO and founder of Telegram, the popular encrypted messaging app.

An Aug. 26 press release from the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Durov is accused of complicity in a slew of cybercrimes for failing to maintain a content moderation program on Telegram.

The charges include “complicity [in] acquiring, transporting, possessing, offering, or selling narcotic substances… complicity [in] web-mastering an online platform to enable illegal transactions by an organized group… complicity [in] possessing child pornography, [and] complicity [in] distributing, offering, or making available pornographic images of minors in an organized group.”

Durov is also accused of refusing to provide information requested by authorities, facilitating cybercrime, organized fraud, and money laundering, and offering tools for unregulated cryptocurrency.

The legal term “complicity” refers to aiding, assisting, encouraging, or involvement with the commission of a crime. Although Durov is not directly accused of committing the crimes, his decision not to enforce content moderation on Telegram is alleged to have enabled criminal activity.

The press release added that Durov’s arrest comes as part of a judicial inquiry opened last month involving twelve alleged criminal violations.

Durov is currently in extended custody after getting arrested in Paris on Saturday. His detention was extended for up to 96 hours or until Aug. 28 to allow a preliminary investigation.

The magistrates overseeing Durov’s detention assigned the Center for Combating Digital Crimes (C3N) and the National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) to carry out the investigation.

Governments react

On Aug. 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said Durov’s arrest was part of a judicial investigation and not politically motivated.

“The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” Macron tweeted. “It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter.”

The arrest has caused tension between France and Russia. Russian officials expressed their outrage over Durov’s detention and requested clear explanations from France.

“We immediately asked French authorities to explain the reasons for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted,” the Russian embassy said in a statement. “The French side is refusing to cooperate on this question.”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is also closely monitoring the situation. Durov holds Emirati citizenship.

“The UAE has said it is closely following the case of Emirati citizen Pavel Durov, founder of the Telegram app, who was arrested by French authorities at Bourget Airport, and has submitted a request to the French government to provide him with all consular services urgently,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a public statement.

France and the UAE share a strong military relationship, with France maintaining a naval base in Abu Dhabi and Emirati forces using French-manufactured military equipment, including Leclerc tanks and Rafale fighter jets.

Durov was born in Russia and holds citizenship in multiple countries, including the UAE, France, Russia, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Hackers retaliate

Following Pavel Durov’s arrest, several hacker groups have launched cyberattacks on French websites. Pro-Russian hacker groups including UserSec and People’s Cyber Army are behind the denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that have taken multiple French government websites offline.

“UserSec, in collaboration with the People’s Cyber Army, claims to have targeted multiple websites in France,” said FalconFeeds, a threat intelligence firm. “Among the affected sites are the Court of Cassation and the Administrative Court of Paris, which displayed the message “#FreeDurov.”

The People’s Cyber Army also said they targeted the website of France’s National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) with the same hashtag.

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