A French judge has placed Telegram CEO Pavel Durov under formal investigation over allegations involving organized crime activities on the messaging platform, Reuters reports.
Durov, who was arrested at a Paris airport, has been granted bail with a €5 million bond payment, report to police twice weekly, and remain in France. The charges include complicity in running a platform for illicit transactions, child sex abuse, drug trafficking, fraud, money laundering, and failure to cooperate with authorities. Telegram, with its nearly 1 billion users, has faced criticism for its handling of criminal activity on its platform.
Durov, who holds both French and Russian citizenship, has stirred diplomatic tensions between France and Russia, with Russian officials expressing support for Durov, while France maintains the arrest is not politically motivated. The arrest has sparked a debate about the balance between freedom of speech and legal enforcement.
