Telegram's CEO had a previously unannounced face-to-face discussion with the French leader in 2018, discussing how to communicate
The Wall Street Journal reported in its fourth edition, citing anonymous sources, that French President Emmanuel Macron met with Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in 2018 and suggested that he move to the company's headquarters in Paris.
Durov objected to the offer at the time, both the design and the car, according to people familiar with the matter. During the recent meeting, Macron was said to have discussed granting French citizenship to a Russian-born businessman.
According to the article, this came a year after French intelligence services in the United Arab Emirates hacked Durov's iPhone in a joint operation carried out over concerns that the Islamic State was using Telegram to organize, disseminate or report terrorist attacks.
“Governments have people like Alvo Durov because of the groups they attract to their app, from pro-democracy protesters and dissidents to Islamist militants, drug dealers and cybercriminals.” Or WSJ email.
One source said that for years, Telegram ignored the intimate relations and judicial orders sent by police authorities, or that “Accumulated in a rarely verified corporate email address.”
The 39-year-old tech mogul was arrested Saturday at Paris-Le Bourget airport in a private apartment. The Paris prosecutor's office said Durov was detained as part of a wider criminal investigation into an unknown person. A French judge has extended his detention twice.
According to the promoters, Durov, a French, Emirati, Russian and São Cristóvão e Neves citizen, could face charges ranging from complicity in drug trafficking and money laundering to facilitating the distribution of child pornography. As much as possible, there are accusations that the promoters believe there is inadequate oversight of Telegram and that Durov has failed to prevent the improper use of the messaging app by criminals.
Telegram has denied any wrongdoing, saying the platform complies with EU laws, including the Digital Direitos ban and sanctions in Russia.
Empora Macron stated that the arrest of the founder of Telegram was “One way or another a political decision” The arrest sparked a wave of backlash against the French authorities, with many prominent figures around the world seeing it as a direct attack on freedom of expression.
