Why was Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France? | The Take

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was detained in France for complicity in criminal activity. Some, including the Russian government, have called it an attack on free speech. What’s behind the uproar, and what’s at stake?

In this episode:

-Tristan Redman, Al Jazeera Producer

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li, Amy Walters, and Sonia Bhagat, with Duha Mossad, Shraddha Joshi, Veronique Eshaya, Hagir Saleh, and our host Natasha Del Toro, in for Malika Bilal. 

It was edited by Alexandra Locke. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our lead of audience development and engagement is Aya Elmileik. Munera Al Dosari and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers.

Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

[PilotsError]

This is a clear sign that the truth lives on Telegram :)

[vicmwaf]

Can you arrest a maker of a gun or bullets for what it is used for?

[vicmwaf]

This is like a car rental owner is arrested cause their car was used in a crime

[darrellernst]

Do knife manufacturers get arrested because someone used a knife to stab someone else ?

[zabavnaya-xttb]

All he did was giving average people an opportunity, but big bosses want to censor everything. Shame on big bosses

[FS-dkhg]

I think his arrest is politically motivated! Culprit? Guess who?

[echika]

Is private conversation between people now illegal? Is encryption illegal? A crude attack on personal liberty.

[champagnebulge]

"A generalized lack of cooperation with French authorities..."

That's it, right there. It's an ongoing relationship VIBE.

[darrellernst]

Telegram is a decentralized platform and is on servers around the world so the creator couldn't censor the app even if he wanted to.

[TradieTrev]

Encryption is not turned on by default I've learnt.

[xct]

It looks a bit like a case of TikTok. It cannot be controlled so it has to be banned. The owner needs to be persuaded to comply, or else.

[bakisan]

Arrest phone company CEO, criminals use phones 🤦🏻‍♂️

[sakinahaveliwala]

Macro invited him for dinner and then arrest him cheater france

[lyhs]

So are criminal using SIM card or even land lines to communicate? Are they going to arrest CEO of those telcos?

[waltertx.]

These things are going on with every phone call provider

[diazvirdani]

*France🇨🇵 still occupied New Caledonia, Wallis & Futuna, Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Polynesia, Clipperton.*
end occupation & keep peace

[ChrisPalmer-tvot]

I have no idea what to believe anymore, it’s as if everything is fake these days; that said, I do feel as though this was a genuine quality production and I feel better informed. Thank you for that!

[shellfish]

Drug deals happen on the sidewalk.
Arrest whoever built the sidewalk.
They obviously didn't secure the platform well enough.

[dasskodly]

You don't need to be French to be aware of the political motivations of the FR justice, any foreigner that lived in FR can see it, last year only a police man killed a child, then was released with 500.000EUR from the French public, true story, ‘Nahel Merzouk' on wikipedia

[KirubanithiKiruba-voih]

You are a Russian but you are speaking English fluently how many languages you are masterpiece because I think you know Italian and Germany and French languages so you really are masterpiece of the centuries of the world 🌎