Telegram founder Pavel Durov has been allowed to leave France temporarily, but the preliminary charges against him raise significant questions for the crypto community.
On March 13, a French court gave the founder and CEO of the encrypted messaging app Telegram permission to leave for Dubai, where he had previously resided. Durov had been in France since August 2024, when he was arrested at the Le Bourget airport in Paris.
Durov was part of an investigation containing allegations of negligence and complicity in crimes like narcotics trafficking, money laundering, child sexual exploitation and terrorism. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
More broadly, Durov’s case raises questions about developer responsibility for the cryptographic platforms and tools they create — a well-known issue in the cryptocurrency industry.
Is Durov responsible for what happens on Telegram?
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