The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov could disrupt extremist users
Telegram founder Pavel Durov arrested in France
Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France for failing to prevent criminal activities on the secure messaging app.
After French authorities arrested Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, concerns began to simmer across the US far-right landscape about losing their preferred communications platform.
Telegram, the messaging and social media app, is used for general communication across much of Eastern Europe and other continents. However, in the United States, Telegram is an outlier.
The far right in America flocked to the app as traditional social media sites increased their content moderation following Donald Trump’s election defeat in 2020. Its laissez-faire approach to content moderation made the app a haven for extremists and conspiracy theorists of all stripes.
Pavel’s arrest and indictment on a variety of criminal charges – related to Telegram’s alleged complicity in facilitating the trafficking of child pornography, drugs and money laundering – led to speculation among those same users about possible uprisings.
“Telegram could go offline or radically change as a result,” a Proud Boys chapter Telegram channel warned on Monday. “Does your PB chapter … have an alternative means of communication? Now would be the time to make sure you have one.”
Similar conversations are taking place in various extremist groups, says Joan Donovan, founder of the nonprofit Critical Internet Studies Institute, which studies disinformation and incitement to violence on the platform.
“Over the past few days, we’ve seen fear and paranoia that once they arrest the CEO, they’ll reveal all the private information and Telegram itself could be compromised,” Donovan said.
While the allegations against Durov are serious, it is far from clear whether they will have any impact on the day-to-day operations of the platform.
Adam Hadley, founder and executive director of London-based nonprofit Tech Against Terrorism, pointed out that Telegram has faced and overcome major challenges before.
“Telegram is almost certainly here to stay,” Hadley said. Although the founder is central to the app’s operation, Telegram is resilient, Hadley said. “It has survived many attacks from governments, so I would imagine it will just keep going.”
What is Telegram and who is Pavel Durov?
Telegram is a versatile app that enables encrypted messages that cannot be tracked or viewed by others.
It allows users to create “channels” similar to Facebook groups, where moderators can post content such as videos, graphics, audio, and links. It also allows users to livestream videos and monetize their content by collecting donations, including in the form of cryptocurrencies.
Durov, a 39-year-old billionaire who founded Telegram with his brother in 2013, was born in Russia, grew up in Italy and is now a French citizen. He also holds passports from at least two other countries, according to media reports.
He is said to have a huge fortune, lives in Dubai, posts shirtless pictures on Instagram, and reportedly travels with a cadre of several dozen core programmers and engineers who keep Telegram running.
On August 24, Durov was arrested by French police as his private jet landed at an airport outside Paris. Durov was charged with 12 counts, including aiding and abetting the distribution or provision of pornographic images of children, aiding and abetting the purchase and sale of drugs, and money laundering. If convicted, he faces more than 10 years in prison.
A statement posted on Durov’s Telegram channel said: “Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act – its moderation is in line with industry standards and is constantly being improved.”
Inspired by Durov’s low-key moderation approach, extremist communities began to form on the platform. Today, Telegram users can find channels for the QAnon conspiracy theory, armed self-proclaimed militia groups, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis.
“There has been a lot of pressure on the American far right to use platforms that support free speech and do not moderate their content,” Donovan said.
The change wasn’t immediate, with users moving away from Facebook and Instagram in waves. But eventually, influencers and far-right groups recognized the platform as a good place to spread their message and gain more followers, says Megan Squire, who has been tracking homegrown extremist groups online for more than a decade.
Today, hundreds of extremist groups from the United States and around the world thrive on this platform. Durov’s arrest has thrown them completely off balance.
“It will be devastating for these groups if Telegram goes away,” said Squire, deputy director of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “So many of the features they rely on will be hard to replace, from data storage to video streaming to encrypted chats to payments. Where else can they find all of that on one platform and without content moderation?”
Objections to freedom of expression
Durov’s arrest was discussed on dozens of local extremist Telegram channels, but also resonated on other platforms. On X, the hashtag #FreePavel circulated. Free speech activists from both political camps condemned the arrest, calling it an attack on civil liberties.
Right-wing extremist media also reported extensively on the arrest.
“This is an attack on free speech and free expression,” conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk told a guest during an interview on his talk show. “Telegram is where the dissident movement lives.”
In comments on the arrest, Telegram users pondered where they would settle if the platform were to end. Some suggested Trump’s social media site, Truth Social. Others vowed to return to X, which had previously banned many extremist users but readmitted them after being bought by Elon Musk.
The discussion and planning reflect the harsh reality facing America’s far right, Donovan said: “These groups and individuals have long had to move from one platform to another, and sometimes even back again, to avoid oversight,” she said.
Hadley agreed, noting that these migrations are likely to only temporarily reduce extremist activity online.
“Removing an app or channels alone won’t solve the problem,” Hadley said. “If you don’t coordinate across platforms, the core activity often just shifts elsewhere.”
Will Carless is a national correspondent covering extremism and emerging issues. Reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @willcarless.
