A French judge has put Telegram boss Pavel Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday in a probe into organized crime on the messaging app.
The Russian-born tech entrepreneur, who was arrested at an airport near Paris on Saturday evening, was granted bail of €5 million on the condition that he reports twice a week to police and does not leave French territory.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement that a judge found sufficient grounds to formally investigate Durov on all charges for which he was initially arrested.
They include suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, the posting of images of child sex abuse, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as the refusal to communicate information to authorities about money laundering.
Being placed under formal investigation in France does not imply guilt or necessarily lead to trial, but indicates judges consider there is enough evidence to proceed with the investigation.
Durov's detention has fueled debate on where freedom of speech ends and enforcement of the law begins. It also underlines the uneasy relationship between governments and Telegram, which has close to 1 billion users, while serving as a warning shot to tech titans who refuse to comply with authorities over alleged illegality on their platforms.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement that a judge found sufficient grounds to formally investigate Durov on all charges for which he was initially arrested.
They include suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, the posting of images of child sex abuse, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as the refusal to communicate information to authorities about money laundering.
Being placed under formal investigation in France does not imply guilt or necessarily lead to trial, but indicates judges consider there is enough evidence to proceed with the investigation.
Durov's detention has fueled debate on where freedom of speech ends and enforcement of the law begins. It also underlines the uneasy relationship between governments and Telegram, which has close to 1 billion users, while serving as a warning shot to tech titans who refuse to comply with authorities over alleged illegality on their platforms.
Source: Reuters
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