Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of messaging app Telegram, is no longer under the custody of French authorities. However, the 39-year-old Russian-born tech executive now faces a number of charges in France that are related to the app.
In addition, Durov has been banned from leaving the country as the formal investigation takes place. Durov was arrested on August 24 after a flight from Azerbaijan.
The Telegram CEO is also a French national.
Pavel Durov is No Longer Under Custody
(Photo : Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch)
According to a report by The New York Times, Durov has been ordered to to pay amounting to 5 million euros, which is equivalent to about $5.5 million. As of press time, he has yet to comment on his arrest as well as the charges made against him.
The charges were formally made on Wednesday, August 28, and is described by The New York Times as "a rare move by legal authorities to hold a top technology executive personally liable for the behavior of users on a major messaging platform, escalating the debate over the role of tech companies in online speech, privacy and security and the limits of their responsibility."
His company previously stated that Telegram abides by the laws of the European Union and said that "it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."
Related Article: Telegram Vulnerability Allows Hackers to Send Video Malware to Android Users
What Has He Been Charged With?
A report by the BBC notes that among the offenses that he has been charged with include his alleged "complicity in the administration of an online platform to enable illicit transactions by an organized gang."
In addition, he has been charged for his alleged "complicity in organized criminal distribution of sexual images of children." He has likewise been charged for refusing to communicate with authorities.
It should be noted that Telegram is finding itself at the center of a controversy in South Korea over sexual deepfakes of females that have been shared in the app's chatrooms. Some of the victims of these deepfakes are still students.
Since his arrest, Russia has been trying to calm fears that Durov's arrest will negatively affect Telegram and its users, according to report by CNN.
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