2024-08-25 23:00:00
he Russian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durovcreated hugely popular social networks and cryptocurrencies, amassed a multi-million dollar fortune and fought against authorities not just in Russia but around the world.
A few months after turning 40, this man Once known as the “Russian Zuckerberg” after the founder of FacebookMark Zuckerberg has been arrested in France after his sensational detention at a Paris airport over the weekend.
The St. Petersburg native rose to prominence in Russia when he founded the social network VKontakte (VK) in his 20s, which catered to Russian-speaking users and surpassed Facebook throughout the former Soviet Union.
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After disputes with Russian authorities and property disputes, Sold VKontakte and created a new messaging service called Telegramit quickly gained traction but also generated controversy, with critics denouncing an alleged lack of control over extreme content.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was arrested upon arrival in France and could be sentenced to 20 years in prison
As these dramatic events unfolded, Durov remained an erratic and sometimes mysterious figure, rarely granting interviews and sometimes making cryptic remarks on Telegram.
Durov, avowed liberalto safeguard the confidentiality of the Internet and the encryption of messaging.
He flatly refused to allow moderation of messages on Telegram, which allows users to post videos, images and comments to “channels” that anyone can follow.
Durov, 39 years old, is the subject of a French arrest warrant. Crimes allegedly committed on Telegram include fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying and organized crime, including promoting terrorism and fraud.
The investigation was entrusted to the French Gendarmerie’s cyber unit and the National Anti-Fraud Office. He remained in custody Sunday, according to two people familiar with the matter.
In 2006, Durov, a recent graduate of St. Petersburg University, launched VKontakte (VK), which attracted users even though its founder remained an unknown figure.
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In 2012, he made a gesture typical of unpredictable behavior Durov throws high-denomination banknotes at pedestrians at VK headquarters Located on the roof of a historic bookstore on Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.
But he sold the company and left Russia in 2014 after running into trouble with the Kremlin for refusing to hand over user personal data to the Russian Security Service (FSB).
Durov quit VK in typical style, posting a photo of a dolphin and the slogan “See you later, thanks for all the fish”, the title of the famous science fiction series The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
He and his brother Nikolai developed the Telegram messaging service and launched it in 2013 while traveling from one country to another.
He settled in Dubai and obtained citizenship of the Caribbean island of St. Kitts and Nevis before acquiring French citizenship in August 2021 through a careful process in which Paris maintains significant discretion.
at the same time, Telegram has been a huge successpositions itself as a defender of individual freedoms, rejecting “censorship” and protecting user confidentiality.
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This angered authorities, especially in its home country, where a Moscow court ordered the app blocked in 2018. But the implementation of the measure was so chaotic that three days later protesters ironically bombed the FSB headquarters with paper airplanes, the symbol of Telegram.
since then, Russia abandons efforts to block Telegram The messaging service is used by both the Russian government and the opposition, and some channels have hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Telegram also plays a key role in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with bloggers from both sides posting their analysis and videos of the battle.
Operated by so-called “pro-Moscow” channelsZ blogger“Supporters of the war have proven to be hugely influential and sometimes critical of Russia’s military strategy.
Pavel Durov: “I like privacy”
Durov avoids interviews with traditional media, but in April he spoke extensively with ultraconservative American journalist Tucker Carlson.
“People love independence. They also love privacy, freedom, and there are many reasons why someone switches to Telegram.”Durov told Carlson.
He also did not hesitate to post on his Telegram channel, claiming that he lives a solitary life and does not eat meat, alcohol or even coffee. He always wears black, much like the actor Keanu Reeves in the movie.matrix”.
July, He boasted that he was the biological father of more than 100 children. That’s thanks to his sperm donations in more than a dozen countries, which he describes as a “civic duty” and whose approach to parenting mirrors that of tech tycoon X and Tesla boss Elon Musk attitude echoes.
According to the latest calculations by Forbes magazine, Durov’s fortune is $15.5 billionbut the cryptocurrency he created, currencyShares have plummeted more than 15% since the arrest was announced.
Telegram has long been on the radar of European judicial authorities, accused of spreading conspiracy theories, spreading calls for murder and hosting drug sales platforms. However, Durov insisted that he would respond to all requests to remove content that incites violence or murder.
AFP/ds
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