Telegram founder Pavel Durov faces 12 charges, including involvement in child pornography distribution

Telegram founder Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of messaging platform Telegram who was arrested in Paris on 24 August, faces 12 charges, ranging from complicity in facilitating illegal online transactions to involvement in child pornography distribution.

Durov’s arrest is the result of a judicial investigation initiated on July 8. The probe was launched following a preliminary inquiry by Section 13-JUNALCO (Fight against Cybercrime) of the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office.

The charges against him encompass a broad range of allegations:

• Complicity in web-mastering an online platform to facilitate illegal transactions within an organised group.
• Refusal to communicate, at the request of competent authorities, information or documents necessary for carrying out and operating interceptions allowed by law
• Complicity in the storage of pornographic images of a minor
• Distributing, offering or making available pornographic Images of minors, in organised group
• Complicity in drug-related offenses including acquiring, possessing, and selling narcotic substances.
• Complicity in providing, selling, or distributing equipment, tools, programs, or data that are designed or modified to access or damage automated data processing systems without a legitimate reason.
• Complicity in fraud committed by an organised group
• Criminal conspiracy to commit a crime or offense punishable by at least 5 years in prison
• Laundering the proceeds derived from organised group's offences and crimes
• Providing cryptology services aiming to ensure confidentiality without certified declaration
• Providing a cryptology tool not solely ensuring authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration
• Importing a cryptology tool ensuring authentication or integrity monitoring without prior declaration.

Telegram's India troubles

The Indian government is investigating Telegram for its alleged misuse in criminal activities, including extortion and gambling. A government official said the messaging app could even be banned, depending on the outcome of the investigation.

"The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) (under MHA) and MeitY have been looking into P2P communications on Telegram," a government official told Moneycontrol on August 25 on condition of anonymity.

The probe, being conducted by the ministry of home affairs and the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), was specifically looking into criminal activities such as extortion and gambling, the official said.