Pavel Durov , Telegram founder, arrested for allegedly facilitating crime, had his passport returned by French authorities, ending a lengthy battle for freedom of speech. The TON (The Open Network) token, associated with Telegram, surged 20% after the news, rising above $3.45. Durov can now travel freely, having his passport returned. The legal battle with French authorities has been described as a battle for freedom of speech. Durov has been an outspoken supporter of free speech. He co-founded the Telegram app, which has nearly a billion users, and promotes privacy and secure communication. The TON society supports Durov’s views and uses cryptocurrency to encourage freedom of speech. “We have stood behind Pavel since his arrest on August 24, 2024”, wrote the TON Society, “Pavel’s unwavering commitment to freedom of speech and transparency, despite facing the most challenging of circumstances, is a powerful reminder of the importance of standing by your principles, even when it is politically and personally detrimental to do so.” In August 2024, the TON Society condemned French authorities for detaining Durov: “The arrest of the Telegram founder, Pavel Durov, is a direct assault on a basic human right – the freedom of expression of everyone”. Durov claims that French authorities failed to communicate with him clearly, neglecting their access to his contact details and having the ability to contact his legal team. He further states that he had cooperated with authorities the entire time and does not pose a flight risk. In December 6 2024, Durov claimed that he did not create Telegram in 2013 to facilitate criminal activity. He said that around 20 million accounts and 1 million groups are deleted every month. Durov maintains that his brother and himself created Telegram as a secure messaging service, not as a vehicle for criminal activity. In September 2024, Durov posted a statement on his Telegram channel, claiming that French authorities could have contacted his EU representative instead of arresting him. He expressed dismay that a CEO would be held to account for what users did on his platform. In August 2024, Durov was arrested at Le Bourget airport and placed under investigation. He was released after paying €5 million, but he was barred from leaving the country and had his passport confiscated. French authorities, however, have accused Durov of enabling the distribution of abusive materials, drug trafficking, and organised crime. They claim that he was not cooperating with authorities and did not provide the requested information. The TON Society called on the United Nations, European Union, and the Council of Europe to intervene at the time of Durov’s arrest. Free speech advocates pointed out that Durov’s arrest put the whole movement at risk, eroding the roots of privacy-enabling technologies and committing regulatory overreach. Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble, commented in August 2024 that French authorities threatened Rumble and were widely cracking down on free speech. He further stated that he could leave France safely at the time. The TON price tumbled in August 2024 after news that Durov was arrested in France became public. It is not clear how sustainable the TON token could be in the event that Telegram is banned or even partially disabled due to Durov’s persecution. Telegram’s user base has reached close to 1 billion, due in part to the platform’s use of crypto games. Crypto games are a very popular app service that has attracted over 300 million players in the space of a few months. The TON network was originally created on Telegram but has since become independent of the platform. Telegram abandoned the project when regulators started scrutinizing the token in 2020. However, in recent years, Telegram has continued integrating TON into its operations.
