One Year After Pavel Durov’s Arrest: What Comes Next?
One year after Telegram co‑founder and CEO Pavel Durov was detained at Paris‑Le Bourget Airport on August 24, 2024, he remains under a French investigation and has been subject to travel restrictions that require him to stay in France while the probe continues.
French authorities have opened a preliminary inquiry that lists a dozen charges alleging that Durov is complicit in serious offenses carried out by users on Telegram, including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying and organized crime. Investigators have argued that Telegram’s moderation practices are insufficient, while Telegram maintains it follows EU rules — including the Digital Services Act — and that its content controls align with industry norms.
The arrest and ensuing investigation provoked a strong response from privacy and free‑speech advocates. Organizations associated with Telegram’s blockchain project and high‑profile critics called the move an attack on human rights and privacy. Durov himself has publicly criticized the case as puzzling and said the situation has taken a personal toll on his family. He has also signaled that Telegram would rather withdraw from markets that force it to undermine encryption than comply with demands he deems unethical, while continuing to meet procedural obligations to appear before French investigative judges.
The case has unfolded against a broader international push to regulate encrypted messaging. Proposals such as Denmark’s so‑called “Chat Control” — aimed at detecting child sexual abuse material by scanning private messages — have drawn controversy and significant political debate in the EU. Advocates for privacy warn these measures would require invasive scanning that would weaken end‑to‑end encryption and set precedents affecting all secure messengers.
Meanwhile, governments with different priorities have taken contrasting approaches. In Russia, authorities have stepped up restrictions on encrypted apps and promoted state‑backed alternatives; one government‑linked messenger, Max, has been rolled out alongside other platforms and allegedly collects more extensive user metadata, with some devices to be shipped with the app preinstalled. Durov’s past clashes with Russian authorities — including his departure from VK over user‑data demands — provide context for his public stance on resisting data‑sharing mandates.
With no trial scheduled a year on and the investigation described as moving slowly, observers say the outcome could have long‑lasting effects on how messaging platforms are regulated, how encryption is treated in law, and where companies choose to operate. The case remains active as of the one‑year mark and is likely to shape debates about privacy, platform responsibility and state powers for months to come.
