This Small Cybercrime Unit In Paris Was Behind Telegram Founder's Arrest

In an unprecedented move against a major tech CEO, prosecutors argued that Pavel Durov bears responsibility for the alleged illegality on his platform, placing him under formal investigation.

The investigation into Telegram boss Pavel Durov who has fired a warning shot to global tech titans was started by a small cybercrime unit within the Paris prosecutor's office, led by 38-year-old Johanna Brousse.

The arrest of Durov, 39, last Saturday marks a significant shift in how some global authorities may seek to deal with tech chiefs reluctant to police illegal content on their platforms.

The arrest signalled the mettle of the J3 cybercrime unit, but the true test of its ambitions will be whether Brousse can secure a conviction based on a largely untested legal argument, lawyers said.