Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, was detained at Bourget Airport in France on Saturday night as he was disembarking from his private jet, according to the French network TF1.

This arrest has sparked intense debate and speculation on social media, including on Telegram itself. However, it seems that the discussions are largely based on a limited number of reports from French media outlets. So far, neither Telegram nor the French National Anti-Fraud Office (ONAF) have issued any comments on the matter.

According to TF1, Durov is facing an arrest warrant in France related to a preliminary police investigation. French authorities claim that Telegram’s lack of content moderation and its refusal to cooperate with law enforcement make Durov complicit in illegal activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, and the exchange of child pornography that allegedly occur through the app.

This arrest could intensify the ongoing debate about how much responsibility messaging apps should bear for the content their users share.

Forbes estimates that Durov’s net worth is $15.5 billion. Born in Russia, Durov left the country in 2014 after refusing to provide information on the leaders of Ukrainian protests who were using his previous social network, Vkontakte. He currently resides in Dubai, where Telegram’s headquarters are also located. It has been reported that his plane had arrived from Azerbaijan before the arrest.

Last month, Durov announced that Telegram had 950 million active users, with a goal of reaching 1 billion by the end of the year. Despite the platform’s scale, the company only has around 30 engineers, highlighting Durov’s critical role in the operation of Telegram.

By: Nestor Castillo, ForAllTech Director