Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s phone was reportedly hacked in 2017, a year before his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, which has only recently come to light.

In the most recent development, Durov was reportedly targeted by French and United Arab Emirates spies in 2017, a year before his meeting with Macron.

The joint operation, code-named “Purple Music,” served to hack Durov’s iPhone due to the Emirates’ concern over the use of Telegram to recruit operatives and plan attacks, according to anonymous sources familiar with the matter, who told WSJ.

Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport north of Paris after landing in a private jet from Azerbaijan on Aug. 24.

Durov met with Emmanuel Macron in 2018

In another surprising development, Durov reportedly met with French President Macron in 2018 and was asked to move Telegram’s headquarters to Paris.

While Durov declined the offer at the time, he reportedly asked the President to potentially grant him French citizenship.

Provided that Macron invited Durov to France, Telegram could potentially prove entrapment, according to American entrepreneur and investor Balaji Srinivasan, who wrote in an Aug. 28 X post:

“Telegram may have the evidence on its servers to show that Macron lured Durov into France. All that remains is for another credible government — perhaps the UAE? — to serve Telegram with a lawful search warrant for evidence on the unlawful detention of its citizen, Pavel Durov.”

Can Telegram prove entrapment? Source: Balaji Srinivasan

However, Telegram has yet to confirm the existence of such messages.

Durov’s arrest sparks Web3 privacy concerns

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s arrest raises alarming implications for the future development of Web3 and privacy-preserving technologies.

While Durov is yet to be charged, the case raises alarming similarities with the arrest of Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev, according to Vyara Savova, the senior policy lead at the European Crypto Initiative (EUCI).

Savova told Cointelegraph:

“Even though there isn’t much clarity about the exact accusations that may be brought against Durov, some parallels with Alexey Pertsev’s arrest and sentence can already be made — such as that these are actions of individual member-states that do not represent a procedure brought up by the EU or its executive body - the European Commission.”

The arrest could also indicate a troubling assault on developers of privacy-preserving technologies, according to Nikolay Denisenko, co-founder and chief technology officer of the financial app Brighty, who shared his views with Cointelegraph.

“This of course raises concerns about potential government overreach and the broader implications for digital privacy. Either way, user security should always be top of mind - both in terms of privacy and protection from malevolent actors or illicit activity.”


Telegram and other top messaging apps’ monthly active users. Source: Statista

Telegram is the world’s fourth-largest messaging application, with over 900 million monthly active users, according to Statista.

Magazine: Criminal at Bitcoin 2024, BTC Strategic Reserve Bill, and more: Hodler’s Digest, July 28–Aug. 3