Pavel Durov, the Russian-born entrepreneur who founded the online communications tool Telegram, was charged on Wednesday in France with a wide range of crimes for failing to prevent illicit activity on the app, and barred from leaving the country.
Mr. Durov, 39, was detained by the French authorities on Saturday after a flight from Azerbaijan.
He was charged on Wednesday with complicity in managing an online platform to enable illegal transactions by an organized group, which could lead to a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
He was also charged with complicity in crimes such as enabling the distribution of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking and fraud, and refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.
Laure Beccuau, the Paris prosecutor, said in a statement that Mr. Durov had been ordered to pay bail of 5 million euros, or about $5.5 million.
He was released from custody but must check in at a police station twice a week.
Telegram has played a role in multiple criminal cases in France tied to child sexual abuse, drug trafficking and online hate crimes, but has shown a “near-total absence” of response to requests for cooperation from law enforcement, Ms. Beccuau said.
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The founder of the messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, is a Russian-born businessman who was charged on Wednesday in France with numerous offenses for his failure to stop illegal activity on the app. He has also been banned from leaving the nation.
The debate over the role of tech companies in online speech, privacy, and security, as well as the boundaries of their responsibility, has intensified as a result of his indictment, which marked a rare attempt by legal authorities to hold a top technology executive personally liable for the actions of users on a major messaging platform.
Mr. Following a flight from Azerbaijan, Durov, 39, was taken into custody by French authorities on Saturday. He faces a maximum 10-year prison term after being charged on Wednesday with conspiratorial management of an online platform that approved illicit transactions by a formal organization.
In addition, he was accused of assisting in the distribution of materials encouraging child sexual abuse, trafficking in illegal drugs, engaging in fraud, and refusing to assist law enforcement.
The Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, announced in a statement that Mr. Durov was ordered to post a bail of 5 million euros, or roughly $5.55 million. After being taken into custody, he was allowed to go free but still had to report to a police station.
Ms. Beccuau stated that although Telegram has been involved in several criminal cases in France related to drug trafficking, child exploitation, and online hate crimes, it has responded to requests for cooperation from law enforcement with a “near-total absence.”.
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