Telegram's billionaire founder Pavel Durov was arrested in France over the weekend after arriving on a private jet.
he It is reportedly the subject of a search warrant.French media outlets have suggested the investigation could focus on a lack of moderators on encrypted messaging apps and potential criminal activity by users.
Telegram is one of the most downloaded apps in the world.
But who is behind it and how does the app work?
“Russia's Mark Zuckerberg”
Russian-born Pavel Durov is the founder and owner of Telegram, a free-to-use messaging app that competes with other platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and TikTok.
His fortune is currently estimated at $15.5 billion (Ā£11.7 billion) according to Forbes magazine, making him the 120th richest person in the world, and he has sometimes been dubbed “Russia's Mark Zuckerberg”.
The 39-year-old left the country after refusing to comply with government demands to shut down opposition communities on VKontakte, a social media platform he co-founded with his brother and later sold in 2014, a year after Telegram was launched.
He moved to Dubai in 2017 and obtained French citizenship in August 2021.
According to media reports, Durov also holds United Arab Emirates citizenship and is a citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, a dual island nation in the Caribbean.
Telegram's popularity has led to increased scrutiny
The Telegram app has influence in Russia, Ukraine and former Soviet republics.
However, Russia began blocking the app in 2018 after Telegram refused to comply with a court order to allow national security agencies access to users' encrypted messages. The move had little impact on Telegram's availability in Russia, but it sparked large-scale protests in Moscow and criticism from non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
The company says the app is becoming increasingly popular and is now in the top five most downloaded apps worldwide, with the goal of reaching 700 million monthly active users in 2023 and surpassing 1 billion within the year.
But its growing popularity has led to increased scrutiny in several European countries, including France, over potential security and data leak concerns.
“Telegram is committed to protecting its users' privacy and human rights, including freedom of speech and assembly,” the company says on its website. “The company has played a key role in pro-democracy movements around the world, including in Iran, Russia, Belarus, Myanmar and Hong Kong.”
Durov is also a sperm donor and has reportedly helped over 100 couples in 12 countries conceive.
He is known for often dressing in black clothing similar to the character Neo from the science fiction film series The Matrix.
Following his arrest, several activists rallied in Moscow to show their support, including placing a paper plane pointing to Telegram near the French embassy in Moscow.
Durov spoke to controversial US media personality Tucker Carlson in April about leaving Russia, saying he “prefers to be free rather than following someone else's orders.”