Pavel Durov, CEO of messaging service Telegram, is a tech titan known for his fierce defence of privacy and free speech. Recently released from French police custody after four days of questioning over Telegram's alleged misuse, Russian-born Durov – a naturalised French citizen known as "Paul Du Rove" in France – remains a figure of intrigue.
Born in Leningrad – now St Petersburg – in 1984, Durov’s early life was marked by a move for his father's work to Italy, where he and his older brother Nikolai excelled academically.