Pavel Durov had flown to Le BourgetA town in the Paris region. dozens of times. But as the tech billionaire left his private jet last Saturday, he could sense that something was different. Moments later, he found himself under arrest.

As the news spread around the world, Durov's tech baron peers started quaking in their bespoke sneakers. For years they had acted without fear. Authorities seemed unable to work out how to bring them to heel. But now the French criminal service has made a statement.

Durov, who founded TelegramToday: an encrypted instant messaging app. In the past: a message sent via electric wires and delivered as a printed piece of paper. As every word was expensive, making the message as short as possible became an art. A famous joke telegram sent from Venice read, "STREETS FULL OF WATER PLEASE ADVISE"., has been placed under formal investigation.¹ If the process leads to a trial and he is found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in prison. 

Telegram is the world's fourth biggest messaging platform. Durov says it has 950 million monthly active users.²

Like WhatsApp, it offers end-to-end encryptionA way of scrambling data so that only certain people can understand it. so that third parties cannot read its messages.³

Unlike the MetaThe new name of the company which owns Facebook and Instagram.-owned app, which caps groups at 1,000 members, Telegram allows for groups of up to 200,000. This has helped make it popular with activists from pro-democracy movements in Iran and Hong Kong to the Islamic StateA terrorist organisation that captured whole swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014, and launched a series of attacks in Europe and North America. It is also known as ISIS or ISIL. . British security services believe it played a role in last month's far-rightA range of ideologies that emphasise social order, racial purity and the elimination of opponents. riots.

Experts claim that these huge groups breed disinformationFalse information intended to mislead, including propaganda, which all too often encourages the spread of misinformation, fake news spread by mistake. It is contrasted with misinformation, which may be spread accidentally. . Telegram has been accused of not doing enough to moderate false claims, criminals and hateful groups. Durov refuses to police his app because he is anti-censorshipPreventing or stopping speech, writing or communication that is considered harmful or "inconvenient". . He has spent years ignoring government requests to remove criminal content.

The Times calls the arrest "an extraordinary escalation". It is the first time the owner of a platform has been found personally responsible for the way their software is used.⁴ Telegram have fumed against the arrest. The platform posted: "It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform."

Some think the arrest attacks freedom of expression. The American whistleblowerSomeone who exposes secretive behaviour by a group or organisation; once used to describe police who blew whistles to signal the scene of a crime. Edward Snowden has called it "an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association". 

Politicians and the general public seem to disagree. A YouGovA British public opinion and polling company. It was co-founded by Nadhim Zahawi, a Conservative Party politician. poll last month found that 66% of Britons think social media managers should be held responsible for inciting riots. In recent years both the US and the EUEuropean Union. An economic and political union of 27 countries. have hit tech firms with a series of lawsuits.

Durov's fall might be a one off. It is harder in Europe to charge individuals than companies. It is difficult to acquire proof that an executive had knowledge of illegal activity and did nothing to stop them.⁵ And tech giants can easily absorb fines.

Yet even if Durov escapes the worst, the arrest itself makes a bold statement.

Is this the downfall of the tech barons?

Yes: Durov's arrest is the first blow in a war that looks to rage in the years ahead. The tech barons have money on their side. But governments have popular support, moral superiority, and the law. And the law always wins in the end. 

No: Telegram is a special case. Durov's anti-censorship stance allowed crimes to happen on his watch. With the possible exception of Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal., other tech leaders are too cannyBeing shrewd, astute, or having good judgment, especially in financial or business matters. and profit-motivated to let themselves fall into the same trap.

Or... It looks like the tech barons are at risk. But they are slippery creatures. If you behead a tech giant, a new head might grow back. And even if it does not, the company will remain to operate, only without a public-facing leader.

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