The head of Telegram, Pavel Durov, has been charged by the French judiciary for allegedly allowing criminal activity on the messaging app but avoided jail with a €5m bail.

The Russian-born multi-billionaire, who has French citizenship, was granted release on condition that he report to a police station twice a week and remain in France, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement.

The charges against Durov include complicity in the spread of sexual images of children and a litany of other alleged violations on the messaging app.

His surprise arrest has put a spotlight on the criminal liability of Telegram, the popular app with around 1 billion users, and has sparked debate over free speech and government censorship.

  • Clot@lemm.ee
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    21 days ago

    Is that the point here? Telegram is not a messaging app, it have that functionality but it does not revolve around that. And there is e2ee if you enable it. Thanks

    • unknowing8343
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      21 days ago

      But Telegram IS a messaging app? Their motto is literally “a new era of messaging”.

      • Clot@lemm.ee
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        21 days ago

        Yes, but it’s not it’s only functionality, unlike signal. Also how is durovs arrest can be justified by saying “telegram aint e2ee”? Signal bros are something else.

        • unknowing8343
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          21 days ago

          I’m just calling out your phrase saying that Telegram is not a messaging app, when it is. That is all.

        • MerchantsOfMisery@lemmy.ml
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          20 days ago

          Also how is durovs arrest can be justified by saying “telegram aint e2ee”?

          No one here has said or implied that.