Over the weekend, the CEO of popular messaging platform Telegram, Pavel Durov, was arrested on arrival in France, the latest development in what seems to be a rapidly increasing set of free speech flashpoints.
By Jason OSBORNE
Russian-born billionaire, Durov (39) was reportedly detained by French police on Saturday after his plane landed at the Le Bourget airport outside Paris, in relation to alleged offences related to his messaging app. Those alleged offences are broad, but at their heart is the claim that Telegram isn't doing enough to moderate its content, and that as a result, the platform is being used to facilitate various forms of criminality.
For its part, Telegram has previously denied having insufficient moderation. Indeed, since Durov's arrest, Telegram issued a statement arguing not only that "its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving," but that it "is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner are responsible for abuse of that platform".
Telegram abides by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act - its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.
Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.
It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner...
- Telegram Messenger (@telegram)
✈️ Telegram's CEO Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently in Europe.
😵💫 It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner…
This saga remains ongoing, with the French authorities reportedly extending Durov's detention, at the end of which the judge can decide to free him or press charges and remand in further custody.
It's not the first time Durov's censorship-free vision of social media has brought him into conflict with government forces. In 2014, he left his native Russia after Kremlin-linked owners took issue with the management of another social media venture of his, VKontakte (VK). On that occasion, Durov reportedly refused to comply with demands to censor opposition groups, a move which saw him leave VK behind in order to focus on Telegram, which he founded with his brother Nikolai in 2013.
Telegram is listed alongside Facebook, Instagram, X and WhatsApp as one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, and boasts an encrypted messaging system that has boosted its popularity among those critical of perceived free-speech infringements.
It is particularly popular in Russia and Ukraine, having been used extensively by both sides to communicate about the course of the ongoing war. This is despite the app having been banned in Russia in 2018, after Durov refused to hand over user data - a ban that was lifted in 2021.
After his clash with the Russian state in 2014, he emigrated, obtaining citizenship at the Caribbean archipelago of Saint Kitts and Nevis after making a $250,000 donation to its sugar industry. Durov was also granted French citizenship in the summer of 2021.
He's now settled in Dubai - where Telegram is based - and has added a United Arab Emirates (UAE) citizenship to his collection. He said that after trying to settle in a number of western cities, he ended up settling on Dubai, which he praised for its "neutrality" and its business environment.
Earlier this year Durov sat down to an interview with Tucker Carlson, during which he reiterated his vision of a Telegram committed to being a "neutral platform" rather than a "player in geopolitics".
After Durov's arrest, Carlson took to X to describe the Telegram CEO as "a living warning to any platform owner who refuses to censor the truth at the behest of governments and intel agencies".
"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," Carlson wrote.
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,... t.co
- Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson)
Whatever your view of geopolitics, it's hard to argue against the notion that Durov's arrest isn't something of an exercise in intimidation - which seems to be working. CEO of Rumble, Chris Pavlovski posted on X following Durov's arrest that he had "just safely departed from Europe".
"France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech.
"Rumble will not stand for this behavior and will use every legal means available to fight for freedom of expression, a universal human right. We are currently fighting in the courts of France, and we hope for Pavel Durov's immediate release," Pavlovski wrote.
I'm a little late to this, but for good reason - I've just safely departed from Europe.
France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram's CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech.
Rumble will not stand for this behavior and...
- Chris Pavlovski (@chrispavlovski)
France has threatened Rumble, and now they have crossed a red line by arresting Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech.
Rumble will not stand for this behavior and…
Telegram came under attack most recently following the Southport stabbing unrest in the UK, with commentators claiming that it played a significant role in allowing the "far-right" to communicate plans for gatherings and protests.
It's not hard, though, reading the tone of those critiques to come to the conclusion that the reason a significant number of people are upset about Telegram is simply because it's harder to place controls on than other forms of social media. After all, it's not like Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp are free of content that violates the law.
In the US, the New Mexico Attorney General claimed last year that Facebook and Instagram have become a "breeding ground" for child predators, while it was reported earlier this year that Meta documents revealed 100,000 children were sexually harassed on a daily basis on its platforms. And yet, as far as I'm aware, there are no European warrants out for Mark Zuckerberg's arrest as soon as he steps foot on the continent.
Rather, the current Telegram saga seems like simply the latest attempt to grab hold of conversations that threaten to burst free of government control. Durov's arrest is the first of its kind, but with the scrutiny applied to Elon Musk since his Twitter takeover, I wouldn't be surprised if it isn't the last.
Original article: Gript