Pavel Durov was once hailed as Russia’s answer to Mark Zuckerberg. Now, he is facing prison in France. The billionaire co-founder of Telegram – an ultra-secure messaging app that boasts more than 900 million users – is feted by some as an anti-authoritarian hero and champion of free speech who took on the might of Vladimir Putin.
For others, he is a negligent tech tycoon responsible for creating a platform where criminal activity goes unchecked.
