The surprise arrest of Pavel Durov, co-founder of the messaging app Telegram, in Paris last Saturday has intensified scrutiny on the platform. The arrest follows a French investigation into serious allegations including organized crime, child sex abuse images, fraud, and money laundering. This development has put Telegram, known for its massive user base and minimal regulation, under an unprecedented spotlight.

The arrest has raised questions about the effectiveness of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to regulate large online platforms and ensure the removal of illegal content. Although the European Commission has distanced itself from the French investigation, the charges against Durov underscore the pressure on EU regulators to enforce the DSA effectively. Critics argue that if Telegram’s content moderation issues are serious enough to warrant criminal investigation, it should be addressed under the DSA’s provisions.

Telegram, which has close to a billion global users but reports only 41 million active users in the EU, is now facing potential direct oversight by EU authorities. As the European Commission reviews the platform’s user figures and compliance with DSA regulations, the call for greater transparency and accountability grows louder. Digital rights advocates emphasize that platforms of Telegram’s scale must operate with more openness to ensure regulatory oversight and public trust.

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