French police have laid multiple charges against Pavel Duroc, o-founder and CEO of encrypted messaging platform Telegram.

The multi-billionaire was arrested last Saturday at Le Bourget airport, but has since been freed on a bail of €5 million and must report to the police twice a week. He is not allowed to leave the country.

Durov's arrest has been viewed by some as an attack on free speech. But French president Emannuel Macron used his X account to dismiss those arguments.

"France is deeply committed to freedom of expression and communication, to innovation, and to the spirit of entrepreneurship. It will remain so," he Xeeted.

"In a state governed by the rule of law, freedoms are upheld within a legal framework, both on social media and in real life, to protect citizens and respect their fundamental rights. It is up to the judiciary, in full independence, to enforce the law," the president added. "The arrest of the president of Telegram on French soil took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation. It is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to rule on the matter."

The charges [PDF] levelled by French authorities concern investigations into Telegram allegedly being used to facilitate drug trafficking, cyber bullying, organized crime, distribution of child sexual abuse material, and failing to cooperate with French police.

In short, Durov's personal liability for acts committed by Telegram's users is the issue being considered. As is his responsibility as head of an online platform to ensure that platform is operated legally.

French police have reportedly said that they have been investigating the platform's use in crimes against children since February - but received little or no cooperation from Telegram.

"It looks like he didn't comply with requests," Babette Ngene, public interest technology director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told The Register. The Foundation is nonetheless "worried about overreach." ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/08/30/french_telegram_ceo/