Pavel Durov, the CEO and co-founder of messaging app Telegram, has been charged in France with facilitating various criminal activities, NBC News reported Wednesday.
One of the charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of 500,000 euros, French prosecutors said.
This case is one of the rare instances where the CEO of a major internet platform has been accused of criminal negligence in moderating user activity on the platform.
According to a statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office on Wednesday, Telegram has largely failed to comply with legal requests for user data in cybercrime investigations.
While Durov, who has been in French custody since Saturday, awaits trial, he has been granted bail set at 5 million euros. He is prohibited from leaving France and must report to the police twice a week, according to the release quoted by NBC News.
French prosecutors stated on Monday that Durov's detention is part of a broader investigation launched in July involving an unnamed individual.
The charges mentioned by the prosecutor’s office appear to specifically relate to Telegram, including the platform’s failure to register its encrypted messaging service with the French government.
Durov’s arrest has triggered backlash and speculation from free speech advocates and prominent tech figures, who suggest that French authorities may have arrested him to control or access communications on the platform.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the controversy, stating in a post on X, “The arrest of the head of Telegram on French territory took place in the context of an ongoing judicial inquiry. It was not a political decision.”
Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Durov’s indictment.