Authorities have repeatedly accused the messaging service Telegram of being too lax in dealing with criminal and extremist activities on its platform – including in Germany. In the past, the company has removed extremist content and prevented illegal activities under pressure from governments and international organizations. However, this has been done selectively rather than systematically, which has led to criticism of the effectiveness and consistency of these measures. France has now reacted: French police arrested the founder and head of the company, Pavel Durov, in Paris this weekend.