BUSINESS-ECONOMY
Pavel Durov, 39, is a Russian-born founder and owner of the messaging app Telegram. This free-to-use messaging app platform competes in the markets with other social media platforms such as WhatsApp from Facebook or Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. It targets to break one billion active monthly users within a year. Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, according to two unidentified police sources cited by TF1 TV and BFM TV, was detained at Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening. TF1 and BFM were both informed the investigation had been orientated towards the lack of moderation on Telegram, and police were considering whether to allow this state of affairs to continue to let activity be conducted unhindered on the messaging app. Telegram did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The French Interior Ministry and police had no immediate comment. Russia, which had tried to ban Telegram earlier, said it had started taking measures to "clarify" Durov's situation. What is known about Durov and Telegram Pavel Durov, 39, is a Russian-born founder and owner of the messaging app Telegram. This free-to-use messaging app platform competes in the markets with other social media platforms such as WhatsApp from Facebook or Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. It targets to break one billion active monthly users within a year. In Russia, Ukraine, and the former Soviet Union republics, Telegram is very powerful. It has developed into a crucial source of information regarding Russia's war against Ukraine, with officials in both Moscow and Kyiv using it to a great extent. Some analysts label the app "a virtual battlefield" for the war. Pavel Durov, whose fortune Forbes pegged at $15.5 billion, had left Russia in 2014 after refusing to yield to government pressure that he shut opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he sold. He holds a citizenship in France from August 2021. He moved to Dubai in 2017 with Telegram, and according to French media reports, he has also received UAE citizenship since then. He is also a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island nation in the Caribbean, according to media reports. In April 2018, Russia initiated blocking the popular messaging app Telegram for refusing to pass the keys to its users' messages on to state security services. It was quite an ineffective measure concerning the effect on the availability of Telegram within the country, but it created mass protests in Moscow and drew criticism from NGOs. With Telegram's growing popularity, European countries like France began investigating Telegram for security and data breach issues. Earlier in May, it was reported that the EU tech regulators were reaching out to Telegram, crossing one of the main criteria of usage, which may bring additional broader responsibilities under the historic EU online content law. In April, Durov confided to US journalist Tucker Carlson: "I would rather be free than take orders from anyone" — explaining his escape from Russia and the quest for a base for his company, which took him and Telegram through Berlin, London, Singapore, and San Francisco. A journalist, writing for the WION Business desk. Bringing you insightful business news with a touch of creativity and simplicity. Find me on Instagram as Zihvee, tr None
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