Telegram founder Durov charged with aiding terrorism:Russia issues global wanted notice

Russia announced on Wednesday that it has issued an international wanted notice for Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, accusing him of “complicity in terrorism”. Russian-born Durov, who has lived outside Russia for years and holds French and UAE passports, has long been at odds with Russian authorities as Moscow has tightened control over the internet. Telegram is one of Russia’s most widely used messaging platforms. Russian authorities have repeatedly tried to block or restrict the app in an effort to pressure Durov to hand over user data or encourage people to switch to the state-backed messaging app, MAX. In a statement, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said it had issued an international arrest warrant for Durov. FSB accuses Telegram of aiding terrorist activities The FSB said it has charged Durov with facilitating terrorist activities, claiming Telegram failed to remove content allegedly used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies and terrorist or extremist groups. According to the FSB, the platform was used to recruit people, coordinate acts of sabotage, terrorism, mass killings and cyber fraud within Russia. The agency also alleged that Durov failed to remove “prohibited information” from the platform. There was no immediate response from Durov or Telegram. Telegram remains widely used despite pressure Founded in 2013, Telegram says it has more than one billion users worldwide and is widely used by people on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia has repeatedly attempted to limit Telegram’s use while promoting its own state-backed messaging service, MAX. Durov has faced legal pressure in Russia and France Born in Saint Petersburg, the hometown of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Durov founded VKontakte (VK), often described as Russia’s version of Facebook. He sold his remaining stake in VK in 2014 after coming under pressure from Russian authorities and later focused on building Telegram. Durov is also under investigation in France over allegations that Telegram failed to take sufficient action against illegal content on the platform and did not cooperate adequately with law enforcement requests. He has denied any wrongdoing.