The founder of Telegram recently disclosed having over 100 biological children globally, just before his arrest over the weekend.
Pavel Durov, the creator of the widely-used messaging platform, was apprehended in France as part of an ongoing judicial inquiry.
Durov, who has been living in exile from Russia since 2014, is often likened to the Russian version of Mark Zuckerberg due to his extensive influence in the social media realm.
In the past few years, Durov has been managing Telegram from Dubai, while frequently traveling through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
However, the 39-year-old was detained on Saturday on allegations of insufficient moderation on Telegram.
French President Emmanuel Macron commented on Monday, stating the arrest was “in no way a political decision.”
“The arrest of the Telegram president on French territory took place as part of an ongoing judicial investigation,” Macron wrote on Twitter.
“This is in no way a political decision. It is up to the judges to decide.”
French prosecutors elaborated on the matter, indicating that the investigation and subsequent arrest are linked to a probe into cyber and financial crimes purportedly occurring on Telegram.
Following the arrest, a message on Telegram’s account read: “It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform.
“We’re awaiting a prompt resolution of this situation.”
Last month, Durov made headlines with a Telegram post, asserting he has over 100 children.
He wrote: “I was just told that I have over 100 biological kids.
“Fifteen years ago, a friend of mine approached me with a weird request. He said that he and his wife couldn’t have kids due to a fertility issue and asked me to donate sperm at a clinic for them to have a baby.”
He added: “The boss of the clinic told me that ‘high quality donor material’ was in short supply and that it was my civic duty to donate more sperm to anonymously help more couples… Fast forward to 2024, my past donating activity has helped over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have kids. Moreover, many years after I stopped being a donor, at least one IVF clinic still has my frozen sperm available for anonymous use by families who want to have kids.”
The tech entrepreneur also mentioned plans to make his DNA “open-source” to help his biological children find each other more easily.
Telegram is an encrypted messaging and social media app with an estimated user base exceeding one billion. The platform is particularly popular in regions with high levels of censorship or surveillance.