What is Telegram and why was its CEO arrested in Paris?
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00:00This is the building on the outskirts of Paris where the billionaire CEO of Telegram, Pavel
00:04Durov, is being held and questioned.
00:07French prosecutors say the 39-year-old, who is Russian and acquired French nationality
00:11in 2021, is the subject of a cyber crimes probe involving illicit transactions, child
00:18pornography, fraud, and the refusal to communicate information to authorities.
00:24Telegram, which is based in Dubai, boasts nearly a billion users.
00:28And the messaging app has been criticized for its failure to moderate extreme content.
00:34In a statement on Sunday, Telegram said it had nothing to hide, and that it was absurd
00:38to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.
00:44Russian lawmakers have also leapt to Durov's defense, claiming that he's being used as
00:48a pawn.
00:49They have hostage, and they will try to blackmail Russia.
00:54They will try to blackmail all the users of Telegram, that now they're not going to
00:59just gain control, but they will probably try to block the network here in Russia.
01:04But French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed such accusations, saying in a statement the
01:08arrest was in no way a political decision, and that it was up to judges to rule on the
01:14matter.
01:15Durov was arrested on Sunday, and under law, he can be held for up to 96 hours, after which
01:20he must be released or charged with a crime.