From PC Mag: The founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram was arrested in France on Saturday after landing in the country on his private jet, multiple news outlets reported, citing unnamed sources. Pavel Durov, 39, is reportedly being detained and questioned because of an existing French warrant.
Telegram, and therefore Durov, are being accused of allegedly not taking enough action to prevent, moderate, and stop criminal uses of Telegram, as well as not cooperating with law enforcement requests. OFMIN, France's authority tackling violence against children, is reportedly investigating Durov and Telegram over concerns of alleged fraud, drug trafficking, promotion of terrorism, organized crime, and cyberbullying on the platform. Telegram has also been repeatedly accused of hosting and not taking enough action to stop child sexual abuse material and self-harm material from proliferating on its app. An OFMIN representative declined to comment.
Earlier this year, a cybersecurity firm dubbed Telegram a "scammer's paradise" after it found an ecosystem of phishing attack kits available for purchase across multiple channels. Some scammers also attempt to trick victims via Telegram, often by posing as legitimate individuals. Cybercrime groups also run their own Telegram channels, and law enforcement agencies like the FBI have attempted to take some of them down by hacking into or otherwise breaching the groups themselves.
Telegram, however, not does believe its platform or Durov have done anything wrong and says it's following EU laws. "Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe," the company said in a statement on Sunday. "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."
View: Full Article
