Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has been accused of allowing criminal activity on his messaging app and has been banned from leaving France pending further investigations.
The 39-year-old billionaire was arrested on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a sweeping judicial investigation that opened last month. He was released today after four days of questioning.
Investigating judges filed preliminary charges on Wednesday night and ordered him to post a 5 million euro bond and report to the police station twice a week.
Allegations against Durov, who was born in Russia and is also a French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.
Durov's arrest in France has sparked outrage in Russia, with some government officials calling it politically motivated and proof of the West's double standard on freedom of speech.
The protest has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics because in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app but failed, lifting the ban in 2020.