Why did French prosecutors charge Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?

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It's rare that the owner of a social media platform is held liable for the actions of its users
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but that's exactly what has happened to the founder of the messaging app Telegram. French authorities have charged Pavel Dirov, accusing him of allowing criminal activity on Telegram
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although he has avoided jail with a 5 million euro bail. The Russian-born billionaire, who has French citizenship, was arrested last week on suspicion of failing to act
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against some of the darkest corners of the web, including child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and fraud
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Telegram insists it is abiding by European laws. It said, it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform
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Durev has defended Telegram's commitment to free speech and minimal moderation. And fellow social media owner Elon Musk has even chimed in, joking on X that
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it's 2030 in Europe and you're being executed for liking a meme
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But Telegram has always been closely watched by law enforcement worldwide. It has previously been accused of being a playground for terrorists, drug dealers
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arms traffickers and extremists. And after the tragic stabbings in Southport in the UK recently
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Telegram channels were used to mobilise rioters, leading to violence and property destruction
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including attacks on a mosque. Telegram has since shut down the worst offending channels
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including one with over 13,000 members. It says it allows peaceful expression
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but strictly forbids calls to violence. The app reportedly only has around 50 employees
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a stark contrast to Meta's army of 15,000 content moderators used to police Facebook and Instagram
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Here at CityAM, we want to know. What do you think of the arrest of the Telegram founder
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Let us know in the comments

Why did French prosecutors charge Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?

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Why did French prosecutors charge Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?

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