Telegram messaging app CEO Pavel Durov arrested in France, French media say

You do not think the public should have access to encrypted messaging apps?

 

Interesting points. I recall similar debates when the Feds went after Backpage. Not sure of the status now; this article was written last year.

5 years after the Backpage shutdown, sex workers—and free speech—are still suffering

On April 6, 2018, the federal government seized and shut down the classified advertising platform Backpage, alleging that a group of current and former executives had used the website to facilitate prostitution. Five years later, two of these executives and a number of former users of Backpage reflect on what the prosecution and the platform's closure have meant.

***

Shuttering Backpage was the main reason advocates and lawmakers cited for passing the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, or FOSTA. That law was signed into law by former President Donald Trump on April 11, 2018. That's just after the Backpage seizure and the arrest of some of its current and former staff—laying waste to claims that without a new law, the platform was untouchable.

Federal agencies went after Backpage using a much older law: the Travel Act. This 1961 law criminalizes traveling or using "the mail or any facility in interstate or foreign commerce" with the intent to "further any unlawful activity."

Prosecutors have been keen to give the impression that the "unlawful activity" in this case is child sex trafficking—so keen, in fact, that they triggered a mistrial with references to it when the case first went to trial in 2021. But the Backpage staff on trial are not accused of facilitating sex trafficking (that is, commercial sexual activity involving force, fraud, coercion, or minors). Rather, they are charged with violating state laws prohibiting plain old prostitution—the consensual exchange of sexual activity for money between adults.

 

Russian Military Bloggers Are Panicking After Telegram Chief's Arrest (msn.com)

Russian military bloggers are panicking after Pavel Durov, billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at a Paris airport on Saturday evening.
As news broke that Russian-born Durov was detained after his private jet landed at Le Bourget airport, pro-war military analysts and bloggers took to the platform to lament the future of the conflict in Ukraine, highlighting that Telegram is a critical means of communication within the Russian army.

Responding to the news, Russian journalist Alexander Sladkov said that Russia's military conducts half of its communications via the messaging app, and said an alternative must be created "urgently." "Pavel Durov was arrested. This attack on the owner of [Telegram], on which half of the communications in the [war] are held, was expected. Now we urgently need to create a Russian military messenger," he wrote.

"Well, was it impossible to think about this earlier?! Why did the Wagner Group have such a messenger, but the armed forces of our great Russia do not!?!?" Sladkov said, referring to the Russian paramilitary outfit which was led by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin. "And there is no one to punish. Or maybe we shouldn't look for the guilty? Russia's punishment is carelessness. And this is a nightmare."

Russian military blogger Alexei Sukonkin said Durov's arrest "raises a host of problems that need to be addressed immediately."

 

Turns out Russians can be funny …

Russians reacted with tons of MEMES after Durov’s arrest in France

 

Frenchie ain't playing. good, past time to take on the use of the web to advance criminal activity. they need to go after crypto next. too easy to hide criminal activity and launder money

French Authorities Charge Telegram Founder Pavel Durov (msn.com)

French judicial authorities brought preliminary charges against Telegram founder Pavel Durov for a host of crimes, including complicity in distributing child pornography, illegal drugs and hacking software on the messaging app—a stunning blow for an entrepreneur who became a hero for internet libertarians over the past decade.

The authorities also charged Durov with refusing to cooperate with investigations into illegal activity on Telegram. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau cited “an almost complete absence of response from Telegram to judicial demands.”

The charges are the most significant test yet facing Telegram and Durov, and they represent a major escalation by the French government in holding tech executives accountable for the content that appears on their platforms. The arrest of Durov, who for years has resisted government attempts to regulate Telegram, has thrust the entrepreneur to the center of debate over how far authorities should go, with executives such as Elon Musk coming to his defense.

Wednesday’s decision means French judges thought there was enough evidence against Durov to deepen their investigation into whether he violated French laws that require online platforms to limit harmful content and cooperate with authorities. If convicted of complicity in illegal online transactions, Durov faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of €500,000, about $550,000.

 

yes

 

Durov got out on bail.

This likely means he gave up the decryption keys. Now listen for some scalded dogs to yelp.