French authorities have continued to detain Telegram’s Russian-born founder and CEO Pavel Durov after arresting him on Saturday on an arrest warrant at Paris-Le Bourget airport. Authorities claimed Telegram’s tenuous restrictions on online free speech facilitated criminal activities, including money laundering and drug trafficking. The arrest sparked outrage against French authorities from free speech advocates internationally. Russian protesters gathered outside the French embassy in Moscow on Sunday and placed paper airplanes in the building’s bushes in reference to Telegram’s paper airplane logo. President Emmanuel Macron should leave France because Durov’s army is after him, Russian Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev mocked.
When will Durov be released? Investigators have extended Durov’s pre-trial detention beyond Sunday evening but have not yet set a date for his release, French news channel France24 reported. The initial pre-trial detention can last up to 96 hours, meaning Durov could be released as early as Tuesday if he is not officially arrested.
What did Telegram say? Telegram complies with European Union laws and moderates user content within industry standards, the platform wrote on Sunday. Almost a billion people use Telegram worldwide and it is absurd to blame a platform or its owner for the misuse of that platform, the statement continued. Durov has nothing to hide and Telegram is waiting for a speedy resolution of this situation, the statement concluded.
What did the French government say? Following Durov’s arrest, false information is circulating online, Macron said. France puts freedom of expression above all else and will continue to do so, but freedom of expression online, as in real life, is embedded in a legal framework, he continued. The judicial system must independently ensure that freedom of expression laws are respected, Macron said, adding that Durov’s detention had no political motives.
Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report on the congressional debate between free speech and national security in discussions about restricting the China-based social media platform TikTok.
