French and UAE Authorities Allegedly Hacked Pavel Durov’s iPhone

In 2017, France and the UAE orchestrated the hacking of Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s iPhone as part of an operation codenamed “Purple Music.” This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources.

According to these sources, the authorities of both countries were concerned that the messaging app was being used by terrorists, drug traffickers, and cybercriminals.

The company had ignored subpoenas and court orders from law enforcement for years, the source added.

Furthermore, in 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron was prepared to offer Durov citizenship and discussed the possibility of relocating Telegram’s headquarters to Paris. However, the businessman declined the offer.

Durov obtained a French passport and UAE citizenship in 2021. Following this, the UAE invested over $75 million in Telegram, the newspaper noted.

Back in August, Pavel Durov was detained at Le Bourget airport in France on the evening of the 24th. The entrepreneur is being questioned as part of an investigation into crimes by an “unidentified person” under 12 articles. No charges have been filed against him.

The crypto community has rallied behind the Telegram founder. The TON blockchain team changed the logo in communication channels to the avatar of the meme token Resistance Dog (REDO). The coin’s value surged by 140% at one point.

In an April interview with Tucker Carlson, Pavel Durov discussed the pressure on the messenger from various governments. He stated that Telegram responds to requests to curb violence and terrorist propaganda but ignores those that infringe on freedom of speech and privacy.

At that time, the businessman did not rule out that the devices he used had been compromised by intelligence agencies.