Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been allowed to leave France after being arrested in August over allegations of failing to moderate his app properly. The 40-year-old was accused of allowing drug trafficking, child sexual abuse content, and fraud on the platform, which he denies.
Durov was initially denied release but French judges later suspended the “obligations of judicial supervision” between March 15th and April 7th. He has been allowed to fly home to Dubai.
The arrest marked the first time a tech leader had been taken into custody for crimes committed on their platform. Telegram, which has 950 million users worldwide, has faced criticism over its handling of user-generated content.
Since Durov’s arrest, Telegram has implemented several changes to improve moderation and cooperation with law enforcement. These include joining an anti-child abuse program, providing IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities upon request, and publishing transparency reports on removed content.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg703lz02l0o