He's known as the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia, billionaire Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of the popular messaging app. Telegram has been arrested in France. The app which boasts nearly a billion users has long maintained a commitment to free speech and does little to moderate content shared on the platform. My mission in life was to allow other people to also become free using the platforms that we create or I created. My hope was that they could express their freedoms. French media reports. Duo's arrest was the result of an investigation into whether he had failed to crack down on illegal activity on telegram including drug trafficking, child porn and the promotion of terrorism. We want to be a neutral platform that is impartial and doesn't take any side. Telegram has said it actively combats misuse of its platform saying each day millions of pieces of harmful content are removed and saying it is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform. Many prominent figures are rushing to Duo's defense. RFK Jr saying the need to protect free speech has never been more urgent and whistleblower Edward Snowden saying Duo's arrest is an assault on the basic human rights of speech. Telegram says it complies with European laws but it was recently fined in Germany for lax reporting of illegal content. Alison Kosik ABC News, New York.