French, UAE intel agencies hacked Telegram CEO’s phone in 2017 — newspaper

French and UAE intelligence agencies carried out a joint operation in 2017 to hack Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s phone, the Wall Street Journal writes, citing sources, Report informs, citing TASS.

According to people familiar with the matter, the spy operation, code-named Purple Music, took place amid French security officials’ concerns that the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) was using Telegram to recruit operatives and plan attacks.

The sources say that for years, Durov’s company "ignored subpoenas and court orders sent by law enforcement authorities, which piled up in a rarely checked company email address." Telegram, however, says that it complies with the European Union’s Digital Services Act. According to the paper, there is no indication that the hacking of Durov’s phone "played a role in his detention" in France on August 24.