Telegram founder Pavel Durov will face up to 20 years in prison if convicted

Russian-born Pavel Durov, founder and owner of popular encrypted messaging app Telegram, has been arrested in France over several charges related to his platform, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

According to multiple reports, he was



arrested on several charges which involved alleged spread of criminal activity on Telegram which has about 900 million active users.

The billionaire lives in Dubai, where Telegram is based, and holds dual citizenship of France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).