The atmosphere between the French authorities and Pavel Durov has not necessarily been good since last summer and his indictment on particularly serious charges (complicity in the possession and distribution of child pornography, complicity in the supply or transfer of narcotics, laundering of crimes, etc.). The cause: the poor moderation of the messaging service.
Durov accuses, Paris denies
The founder and boss of Telegram has been placed under judicial supervision and has been able to travel abroad since March. Pavel Durov immediately flew to Dubai, his place of residence, and returned on April 7. But you have to show your credentials to continue traveling. On May 12, the Paris prosecutor banned the billionaire from traveling to the United States for negotiations with investment funds, Politico reveals. This decision was made on the grounds that such a trip abroad seemed "neither imperative nor justified." Pavel Durov must request permission every time he wants to leave French territory.
It's hard to say whether the two things are linked, but on May 18, the same Durov implied that a "Western European government" (identified only by the "baguette" emoji...) had asked Telegram to censor "conservative voices" in Romania just before the presidential election that was taking place that same day. "I categorically refused," he said, donning his knightly garb of freedom of expression.
The accusation didn't come out of nowhere. In December, the first round of the presidential election was canceled following interference from TikTok, which had been infiltrated by Russian far-right circles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs quickly debunked Durov's accusations, describing them as "totally unfounded allegations."
The Quai d'Orsay recalls that "the first round of the Romanian presidential elections last December was sovereignly canceled by the competent Romanian authorities following very real digital and financial interference from actors linked to Russia." Investigations by the Romanian authorities and the European Commission have also confirmed the seriousness of the facts.
Source: Politico
0 Comments