Arrest of Telegram Founder Unprecedented

The co-founder of the popular messaging app Telegram remains in custody in France after his surprise arrest at an airport there over the weekend. Authorities say Pavel Durov, 39, has failed to rein in criminal activity on his site, but the app in a new statement called it "absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform," reports the BBC. Coverage:

• Unprecedented: The arrest has "little precedent," per the New York Times. "While the European Union and United States government have summoned and questioned leaders of other social media firms, rarely has a major tech leader been arrested over what takes place on such sites." The arrest is quickly becoming a flashpoint in the debate over free speech online, per the story.

• Telegram: The platform launched by Durov and his brother, Nikolai, in 2013 now has nearly 1 billion users, ranking up there with Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and WeChat. It's particularly popular in Russia, Ukraine, and India. The platform has courted controversy because it provides light oversight and allows groups of up to 200,000. Critics say that combination allows disinformation, especially far-right extremism, to easily spread. Child pornography also has been a problem, according to a previous Washington Post investigation. On the other hand, it provides a forum for people under authoritarian governments to communicate, notes the Times.
• Encryption controversy: Telegram is touted as an "encrypted" messenger app in theory, but it doesn't function as such for most users. For one thing, users have to opt-in to encryption, and many (perhaps unaware) do not do so, per the Washington Post.
• Two voices: The support of Durov is widespread. Elon Musk, who has faced similar criticism in regard to his X platform, tweeted "#FreePavel." Musk critics might shrug that off, but a former top adviser to the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny voiced a similar sentiment. "Durov is not an 'accomplice' to the crimes committed by Telegram users," says Leonid Volkov.
• About him: Durov, a self-described libertarian, was born in Russia and spent part of his childhood in Italy before returning to Russia. He left in 2014 when he lost control of his Facebook-like social media platform VK, per Reuters. On that note, he has been described as the "Russian Mark Zuckerberg." Durov has dual citizenship from France and the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based. Russia still considers him a citizen and has publicly requested details about his arrest.
• Wealth: Forbes pegs Durov's net worth at $15 billion, making him No. 120 on the list of the world's wealthiest.

(More free speech stories.)