telegram CEO paval durov arrested in France the co-founder and CEO of messaging service telegram paval durov was arrested at lebour airport outside Paris and taken into custody on August 24 2024 according to French media reports the 39-year-old russian-born billionaire was reportedly accused of failing to curb the misuse of his platform for criminal purposes in 2018 telegram was banned in Russia for failing to share user data but the ban was lifted in 2021 as telegram is one of the leading social media platforms its critics are concerned that the large size of its groups could encourage the spread of false information and harmful content telegram has also been criticized for failing to cooperate with law enforcement on security issues