Pavel Durov, a Russian-French entrepreneur, founded Telegram in 2013 after Russia cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011. Now one of the world's largest communication tools, Telegram uses encryption technology similar to Signal to prevent bad actors, such as individuals or corrupt governments, from tracking users' communications. Telegram is central to everyday life in countries such as Russia, Ukraine and India. In fact, Russia had problems with Ukrainians using the app for military communications. That's how secure the encryption is.
Societies that claim to defend freedom of speech and privacy will likely embrace the app, but totalitarian governments that want to control the private communications of their citizens will likely do everything they can to ban it. However, it was France that targeted Durov, not Russia, Iran or China.
They're after Musk, they're after Rumble, and they're after you. This isn't about your digital safety. It's about their quest for power.
authorities Arrested Durov was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris earlier this week. The Russian embassy in Paris asked the French government for an explanation. In response, the French government said that Durov was “detained by the National Anti-Fraud Bureau on suspicion of aiding various crimes, including terrorism, narcotics, human trafficking and fraud.” The French government further accused Telegram of “allowing countless illegal activities and crimes, while he did nothing.” In other words, the French government is accusing Durov of being an accomplice to crimes committed by others using his app.
In the United States, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects social media companies from being prosecuted as accomplices to most crimes committed on their platforms. French and European laws do not fall under Section 230, but the double standards for platforms that follow censorship campaigns are clear. For example, “60 Minutes” report The New Mexico Attorney General has accused Meta and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, of enabling child sexual abuse and trafficking on their sites. According to the Attorney General's undercover investigation, Facebook and Instagram's algorithms created a marketplace for child sexual exploitation, and Meta allowed adults to find, message, and lure minors, selling photos or participating in pornographic videos.
Would France hold Mark Zuckerberg accountable for allowing child pornography on his platform? Why was Durov arrested for a crime that Meta has repeatedly proven to encourage? Because Durov's product counters government censorship while Meta openly complies with it?
Europe is fast becoming a global epicenter of censorship, and the EU's Digital Services Act is the final nail in the coffin of what's left of free speech on the continent. Jonathan Turley The Digital Services Act has been rightly described as “one of the biggest threats to freedom of speech currently occurring around the world” and would require social media companies to flag and report content that the EU considers harmful.
The Digital Services Act, cloaked in boring, bureaucratic language, gives globalist EU governments the power to censor any speech they see fit. Margrethe VestagerMark E. Kelly, the Danish politician who is the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for “A Europe Fit for the Digital Age”, threatened to fine Elon Musk's X for not complying with censorship measures outlined in EU “guidelines”.
Durov's arrest has rightly scared the CEOs of other pro-free speech platforms. CEO Chris Pavlovsky “I'm a bit late on this, but there's a reason for it. I've just safely left Europe. France threatened Lambru and now they've crossed the line by arresting Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, reportedly for not censoring speech.”
“Rumble will not tolerate such behavior and will use all legal means to defend the universal human right of freedom of expression,” Pavlovsky added. “We are currently fighting the case in French courts and hope for the immediate release of Pavel Durov.”
Elon Musk He is also concerned. “Forwarding X's posts to your friends is essential to defending freedom of speech, especially in countries with strict censorship,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). What he means is that X's posts will be hidden in countries like France, and will only be visible if someone in a country without censorship sends them to you directly. Will Facebook follow this censorship standard?
Alexander VindmanThe key witness in President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial said following Durov's arrest:
Durov is a French national and was arrested for violating French law, but this has far-reaching implications for other social media platforms, including Twitter, where there is growing intolerance for platforming disinformation. [and] Malicious influence [and] There's a growing desire for accountability. That should make Musk nervous.
Coming from a Democratic congressional candidate, this is threatening.
Is there really a growing intolerance for platforms that spread “fake information”? Perhaps among the ruling elite, but not among the American public.
This year, Blaze Media has broken multiple records in company history. We are more influential than we were at Fox News. This is especially amazing when you consider our Facebook numbers. We are not getting any traction on Facebook, but this is not a new battle. Facebook silences our voices all the time. your It will be harder to speak up during election season, and it will only get worse.
Durov's arrest is not an isolated issue. We have been seeing the signs of a dramatic shift in European censorship for years, but Durov's arrest is the first major crack in the ground. The ruling elite want you to fall through the cracks with him, until only they and their cronies are left on the ground. They are going after Musk, they are going after Rumble, and they are going after you. This isn't about your digital safety. It's about their quest for power.
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