The news of Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, being arrested as he stepped out of its private jet in Paris on Saturday, August 24, has surely come as a shock for the tech world. This is the first time a social media executive has physically entered jail for crimes that allegedly occurred on the platform. He was released on Wednesday after paying a €5 million bail, but is banned from leaving the country as authorities placed him under criminal investigation.
The Russian-born billionaire has long been a divisive figure. Deemed as the "Robin Hood of the internet" by Le Monde, Durov is popular among free speech fighters for refusing to give away Telegram's users' identities to law enforcement requests. Some countries have blocked access to Telegram over the years for this reason, in fact, forcing people to turn to the best VPNs if they want to keep using the app.
