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Telegram founder allowed to leave France following arrest

The billionaire has been accused of failing to properly moderate his app to reduce criminality.

Mr Durov lives in Dubai and was born in Russia, where he has citizenship, as well as in France, the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean island nation of St Kitts and Nevis. Telegram is used by around 950 million people worldwide and has previously positioned itself as an app focussed on its users' privacy, rather than the normal policies prioritised by other global social media companies. But reporting from the BBC and other news organisations highlighted criminals using the app to advertise drugs as well as offer cybercrime and fraud services and, most recently, child sexual abuse material.

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