Telegram CEO charged with ‘complicity’ in serious crimes as French government sites face DDoS attacks

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The Paris Prosecutor’s Office issued a press release detailing the official charges against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov. The judicial inquiry, opened on July 8, 2024 following a preliminary investigation by the Cyber ​​Crime Unit (JUNALCO), lists multiple serious allegations against an unnamed individual, with Durov, who was arrested over the weekend, accused of complicity in these activities . through the Telegram platform.

The charges include complicity in operating an online platform to enable illegal transactions in an organized group; refusal to provide information necessary for lawful interceptions; complicity in the possession and distribution of child pornography in an organized group; providing tools for illegal access to automated data processing systems and criminal association for the commission of crimes, complicity in drug trafficking, organized fraud and money laundering related to organized crime.

Durov was also charged with providing “cryptology” services without proper certification, as well as another charge of “importing cryptology tools” without prior declaration.

The prosecutor’s office also stated that Durov’s custody, which began on August 24, could last up to 96 hours until August 28, given the procedure applicable to organized crime.

Telegram responded to the allegations in a statement, saying it complies with European Union laws and dismissing the allegations as unfounded. The company emphasized that Durov has “nothing to hide” and criticized the idea that the platform or its founder should be held accountable for potential misuse by some users.

The arrest and subsequent charges have sparked reactions from various quarters. Tech leaders and privacy advocates have expressed concern about the implications of the event for digital communication platforms and user privacy, which could set a dangerous precedent for how governments might target tech leaders in the future, sparking fears of excessive. However, critics of Telegram have also argued that the platform’s minimal moderation approach has allowed various illegal activities.

Durov’s arrest “was not political”: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron found himself on the defensive as backlash over the arrest grew. In a statement released on August 26, Macron sought to quell growing international concern by saying Durov’s arrest was not politically motivated. The French leader underlined his nation’s commitment to freedom of expression and speech, insisting the case would be dealt with by France’s independent judiciary.

However, Macron’s words failed to stem the tide of criticism. The crypto community and free speech activists rallied to Durov’s defense. Gabor Gurbacs, former director of digital asset strategy at VanEck, questioned the French approach:

“You arrest the guy and see if he did anything wrong? Is this the “rule of law” and “freedom of speech” you’re talking about?”

The chorus of voices calling for Durov’s release grew, with industry names like Elon Musk adding his voice to the growing protest by posting a #FreePavel video on X. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin and his concerns about the issue.

“We’ve criticized Telegram before for not being serious about encryption, but given the information available so far: the fee appears to be only ‘unmoderated’ and not giving up people’s data. This looks very bad and worrying for the future of software freedom and communications in Europe,” Buterin told X, responding to a post by Balaji Srinivasan.

French government websites attacked

On August 26, reports began circulating that several key French government websites were offline in what appeared to be a denial of service (DDoS) attack. Among those affected were the Administrative Court of Paris, the official website of the French Department of Health and the webpage of the Court of Cassation. Visitors to these sites received warnings about insecure connections, leaving many to speculate about the scale and origin of the attack.

Initial reports from Entropia Intel suggested the attacks were likely a response to Durov’s arrest on August 24 at Le Bourget airport near Paris. The timing and targets of the cyber attack appeared to confirm this theory, with Russian hacker groups or “hacktivists” being named as potential culprits.

At the time of writing, Crypto Briefing was unable to independently verify these claims, although it has been reported by at least one other crypto publication.

Durov, who rose to prominence as the founder of Russia’s largest social media platform, VK, has a history of resisting government pressure on access to user data. He founded Telegram in 2013 as a platform dedicated to free speech and privacy, which made it popular among crypto enthusiasts and privacy-conscious users around the world.

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