The billionaire programmer and CEO of the Telegram app, Pavel Durov, 40, was arrested on Saturday night (24) at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France.

The reasons for his arrest have not yet been revealed, but it is suspected to be related to his "messaging" app.

What sets Telegram apart from many other apps is its focus on privacy and security. It uses encryption to protect users' messages and is known for its stance against censorship. This has made it popular in countries where freedom of expression is limited.

The app offers anonymous channels where people can share information; news feeds; bots (robots) that automate various tasks; cryptoasset resources that allow the buying and selling of goods and services.

The platform currently has approximately 900 million users every month.

He, who holds Russian (native), French and United Arab Emirates (acquired) citizenships, may be facing charges for failing to take action against criminal use of Telegram.

In some countries the use of the app had been banned because Durov refused to provide user data. In Russia, it happened in 2018, when he refused to provide the Russian secret services with decryption codes for messages encrypted and sent using peer-to-peer technology.

Durov, a math prodigy from an early age, founded Telegram in 2013 and left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with government demands to close down opposition communities on his social media platform VKontakte, which he sold.