Late Saturday evening, we learned that Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov had been detained by authorities in France. The information at the time was scant, but the issue seemed to center around claims that the platform was failing to properly moderate content.
Following news of Durov’s arrest, both Tucker Carlson and X owner Elon Musk spoke out, with Musk tweeting “#FreePavel” and Carlson stating in a tweet:
Pavel Durov left Russia when the government tried to control his social media company, Telegram. But in the end, it wasn’t Putin who arrested him for allowing the public to exercise free speech. It was a western country, a Biden administration ally and enthusiastic NATO member, that locked him away. Pavel Durov sits in a French jail tonight, a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies. Darkness is descending fast on the formerly free world.
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Now, we have a bit more detail regarding the charges against Durov, as preliminary charges were issued against him shortly after his release from custody.
Driving the news: The charges against Durov include complicity in managing an online platform to enable illegal transactions; complicity in crimes such as enabling the distribution of child sexual abuse material, drug trafficking and fraud; and a refusal to cooperate with law enforcement.
- Bail was set 5 million euros (about $5.5 million), and Durov was released but ordered to check in at a police station twice a week, per a statement from Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau.
- The Paris prosecutor’s office had said in a statement Wednesday that Durov was released from custody but would be transferred to court for his first appearance before a judge ahead of a possible indictment, AP reported.
- The French investigative judge placed him under formal investigation, preventing him from leaving France.
According to the terms of his release, Durov is prohibited from leaving France while the formal investigation is underway.
Both the company and Durov’s attorney have pushed back on the allegations.
What they’re saying: Telegram said in a statement after the arrest that it abides by EU laws, its content moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving,” and Durov “has nothing to hide.”
- Durov’s lawyer David-Olivier Kaminski echoed those comments in a media statement on Wednesday, adding: “It is totally absurd to think that the head of a social network… could be involved in criminal acts” that could be committed on the messaging service.”
What this will mean for the messaging app and the cause of free speech going forward is difficult to say, but it’s a concerning development in light of the seeming authoritarian push of Western governments to clamp down on free speech.
As independent journalist Matt Taibbi notes:
The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov is a paradigm-shifting event. Western governments have declared war on free expression.
The US needs a government that will stand up to Europe and oppose the Digital Services Act. https://t.co/YeOCZUv0Hdhttps://t.co/x4EiGRV0Vt https://t.co/bUBOMcXaBp
— Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) August 25, 2024
The arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov is a paradigm-shifting event. Western governments have declared war on free expression.The US needs a government that will stand up to Europe and oppose the Digital Services Act.
