Arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov sparks criticism of France and opens another geopolitical front with Russia

arrest Pavel Durov, Co-founder and CEO, Telegram It is becoming an issue of geopolitical significance. According to French media reports, French authorities They arrested the businessman as soon as he got out of the car The news that he arrived at Paris’ Le Bourget airport from Azerbaijan at midnight last Saturday on a private jet has sparked a wave of criticism, centered on RussiaDurov’s country of origin.

Carrom is complicated. Pavel and his brother Nicolai founded Telegram in 2013a free-to-use messaging platform that competes with other platforms, e.g. WhatsApp From Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok yes WeChatHowever, this is not the first time Pavel has tried this type of venture, as before Telegram he had already created Vikaa social network similar to Facebook, which earned him theMark Zuckerberg There are only 22 aos.

Durov, his Forbes estimates wealth at $15.5 billionleft Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with Moscow’s demands Close-knit opposition groups and communities On his VK platform, he eventually sold it.

Now, a French judge insists Telegram lacks moderation Durov’s lack of cooperation with authorities, as well as the tools provided by the platform, such as single-use numbers and cryptography, made him a Involved in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, pedophilia and fraudIn other words, Durov allegedly failed to take action to prevent the use of the Telegram platform for criminal purposes.

However, this problem may become a Causes of geopolitical confrontation in the Russia-Ukraine conflictAs mentioned above ReutersTelegram has become an essential source of information about the war in Ukraine and is widely used by officials in Moscow and Kiev. Some analysts have called the app “Virtual battlefield For the war.

Russia has blocked Telegram since 2018 The app refused to comply with a court order granting state security services access to its users’ encrypted messages. The action had little impact on Telegram’s availability there but sparked massive protests in Moscow and criticism from nongovernmental organizations.

The arrest of one of its founders on Saturday did not take long to spark controversy, with Moscow criticizing it in fundamentally contradictory terms from the beginning.

Russian Ombudsman, Tatiana Moskakovaaccusing Paris of arresting Pavel in order to shut down the platform. Moskakova commented in the collected messages: “There is no doubt that the real reason for the arrest is an attempt to shut down Telegram, an Internet platform that allows you to know the truth about what is happening in the world.” Effie.

Morskakova condemned Paris for accusing Derov of “all the crimes that have happened and are about to happen,” from drug trafficking to pedophilia and terrorism. Its goal is to “achieve total control over free speech” He accused the French authorities of “serious violations of the right to freedom of expression”, which clearly reflects “the double standards of a series of countries that praise democracy but actually attempt to trample on it in terms of the most basic human rights”.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Mara Zayrovaassured that Moscow had sent a note to the French Foreign Ministry to gain access to Durov. Zayrova also called on major Western NGOs to defend Durov on her Telegram channel.

Another critical voice raised yesterday was that of the tycoon Elon Muskthe owner of X, posted the hashtag #Free Pavel (#PavelLibre) and commented in French “Liber liberty! liberty?” (Freedom liberty! Freedom?).

Along these lines, former CIA analyst Edward Snowden He called the arrest “an attack on fundamental human rights such as freedom of expression and association.” “I am surprised and saddened that Macron has stooped to taking hostages as a means of obtaining private information,” he wrote. He believes that Durov’s arrest “undermines the dignity of not only France,” but the entire world.

Telegram claims it complies with EU law

For its part, the messaging platform released a statement declaring that it complies with EU law.

“Telegram complies with EU law, including the Digital Services Act. Its audits are in line with industry standards and are continuously improved. Durov has nothing to hide and travels frequently to Europe. It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owners are responsible for the abuse of that platform,” the message read.