French authorities have denied a travel request by Telegram founder Pavel Durov to visit the United States for business discussions with investment funds, prosecutors confirmed Thursday, citing the lack of urgency and justification for the trip.
The 40-year-old Russian-born tech entrepreneur, who is currently under formal investigation in France over the spread of illegal content on his messaging platform, remains restricted in his international movements.
Durov was dramatically detained in Paris earlier in 2024, triggering significant media attention and scrutiny over Telegram’s role in moderating its digital space.
Although Durov was granted permission in March to return to Dubai—where Telegram is headquartered—his latest request to travel to the U.S. was rejected on May 12 by the Paris public prosecutor’s office and JUNALCO, France’s office for the fight against organized crime.
“Such a trip abroad did not appear to be urgent or justified,” the prosecutor’s office said in a joint statement, addressing Durov’s intention to meet with senior figures in the American tech and investment community.
A source close to the case told AFP that Durov had sought meetings with prominent tech executives and investors in the U.S., underscoring the importance of securing future funding for Telegram amid increasing regulatory pressure in Europe.
Since his arrest, Durov has taken visible steps to align Telegram with France’s demands for stricter oversight of illegal content circulating on the platform.
These steps are believed to include the removal of channels promoting violence, hate speech, and disinformation. However, the platform continues to face criticism from European governments for allegedly allowing extremist content to proliferate.
Despite his cooperative gestures, Durov has also drawn controversy with fresh allegations against French intelligence services. In a post on social media platform X, he accused the head of France’s DGSE (General Directorate for External Security) of pressuring Telegram to ban pro-conservative Romanian accounts shortly before Romania’s recent elections.
The DGSE has categorically denied the accusation, calling it baseless.
The political fallout has been further fueled by Romanian nationalist candidate George Simion, who lost the mayoral race in Bucharest to centrist incumbent Nicușor Dan. Simion has filed a formal appeal to Romania’s Constitutional Court, seeking to annul the results on grounds of alleged foreign interference, including purported actions by French intelligence.
Durov publicly backed Simion’s claims, reposting the Romanian politician’s appeal on X with the statement: “I’m ready to come and testify if it helps Romanian democracy.”
The Telegram founder’s comments have reignited debate over the role of encrypted platforms in political processes and whether state actors are exerting undue influence over digital communication tools.
Durov’s legal team has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the blocked U.S. travel. The broader case against him in France remains ongoing, with further hearings expected later this year.
As scrutiny around Telegram intensifies, the case underscores the growing clash between tech platforms’ global operations and national regulations on digital content and electoral integrity.
