keneci Network
News • Science & Tech • Comedy
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Arrested In France Over Moderation Policy On The Pro-free-speech Messaging App
August 25, 2024
post photo preview

Russian-born founder and owner of Telegram was arrested Saturday, at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet from Azerbaijan. The 39-year-old billionaire who has dual French and UAE citizenship, has been placed in custody as part of a preliminary investigation into alleged wide range of crimes committed on the messaging app due to a lack of moderation, and a lack of cooperation with police.

Authorities have since reportedly extended Durov's detention to another 96 hours.

There was no initial official confirmation from France of the arrest, but police had reportedly spotted he was on the passenger list and moved to arrest him because he was the subject of an arrest warrant in France.

Telegram is famously known to be among the least censored social media platforms, The company says it "is committed to protecting user privacy and human rights such as freedom of speech and assembly." Durov has resisted attempts to get him to censor legal speech on the messaging app.

“We get too much attention from the FBI and other security agencies whenever we come to the U.S," Durov told popular American journalist and podcaster Tucker Carlson earlier in the year. "The last time I was in the U.S., I brought an engineer who works for Telegram. There was an attempt by cybersecurity officers or agents to secretly hire my engineer behind my back. They were curious to learn which open-source libraries are integrated into Telegram's app, and they tried to persuade him to use certain open-source tools that would serve as backdoors. I personally experienced similar pressure in the U.S. Whenever I would go to the U.S., I would have two FBI agents greet me at the airport, asking questions. My understanding is that they wanted to establish a relationship to control Telegram better.”

A cybersecurity gendarmerie unit and national anti-fraud police unit are reportedly leading the French investigation into Telegram and Durov.

In a statement on X, the company writes: "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 are responsible for abuse of that platform."

Russia's foreign ministry said it had sent a note to Paris demanding access to Durov.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that Durov had misjudged by fleeing Russia and thinking that he would never have to cooperate with the security services abroad.

Russian lawmaker Maria Butina, who spent 15 months in U.S. prison for acting as an unregistered Russian agent, said Durov "is a political prisoner - a victim of a witch-hunt by the West."

Durov arrest drew swift global condemnations with #FreePavel trending on social media, and many comparing France and Europe in general to the totalitarian regimes in China and North Korea where political dissent is not tolerated. Many on X raised concerns over travelling to France as a free-speech-minded tech entrepreneur.

Chris Pavlovski, CEO of YouTube rival Rumble whose platform has been forced to suspend services in France after rejecting regulator's demands to censor some users, wrote on X: "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 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."

In a earlier post, he noted: "China bans Rumble; France threatens Rumble, we leave; Brazil threatens Rumble, we leave; UK threatens Rumble; Russia bans Rumble; New Zealand threatens Rumble; France arrests Telegram CEO. Free speech is under major assault and I will not stop fighting for it."

X owner and Tesla chief, Elon Musk wrote, "It's 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme." And responding to an X user who asked why Mark Zuckerberg is not facing the same prosecution given the prevalence of prohibited content across Meta platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp, Musk wrote, "Because he already caved into censorship pressure. Instagram has a massive child exploitation problem, but no arrest for Zuck, as he censors free speech and gives governments backdoor access to user data."

Telegram, with close to 1 billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. The platform is also a political propaganda battlefield used by activists and influential leaders across the world including pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups, the Russian government, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials.

Durov launched Telegram after he was pressured by Russian authorities to sell his social media platform VK. His younger brother, Nikolai, designed the encryption used in Telegram, according to Durov.

"I would rather be free than to take orders from anyone," Durov said in April about his exit from Russia and search for a home for his company, which included stints in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco. He finally settled in Dubai, UAE.

community logo
Join the keneci Network Community
To read more articles like this, sign up and join my community today
0
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
Articles
SpaceX Starlink Internet Satellites

With Starlink internet, data is continuously being sent between a ground dish and a Starlink satellite orbiting 550km above. Furthermore, the Starlink satellite zooms across the sky at 27,000 km/hr! MORE VIDEOS ON KENECI NETWORK RUMBLE CHANNEL: https://rumble.com/c/Keneci

00:28:08
Elon Musk, DOGE Speak On Waste And Fraud

US Department of Government Efficiency Services (USDS) led by Elon Musk speak on the "mind-boggling" fraud and waste in UInited States federal government

00:00:45
January 17, 2025
SpaceX Launches Starship 7th Test Flight

SpaceX successfully executed its second-ever “chopsticks” catch of a Super Heavy booster (or Booster 14) using the “Mechazilla” launch tower on Thursday(Jan. 16), during the seventh uncrewed test flight of the company's 123-meter Starship rocket. However, the megarocket's upper stage(or Ship 33) was lost approximately 8.5 minutes into the flight in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly(RUD)” or explosion

00:10:30
Welcome to Keneci Network!

Join the conversations!

December 09, 2025
Bitcoin White Paper By Satoshi Nakamoto

Bitcoin white paper

Bitcoin_White_Paper.pdf
September 17, 2024
Charges Against Sean 'Diddy' Combs In Grand Jury Indictment

The rapper was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in the indictment unsealed Tuesday(Sept. 17)

Combs-Indictment-24-Cr.-542.pdf
post photo preview
US Military Strikes Iran For The 10th Consecutive Night, As Mediators Push For 10-day Ceasefire To Allow Transit Through The Strait Of Hormuz

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) at 2000 UTC Monday, initiated a major wave of airstrikes across Iran whic lasted five hours, concluding around 0100 UTC, Tuesday, marking the 10th consecutive day of high-intensity U.S. air operations against Iranian targets amid mouting U.S. casualties.

Operations targeted Iranian military command-and-control centers, air defense systems, coastal surveillance radars, naval assets, communications networks, and missile/drone launch sites, according to CENTCOM, stating the primary objective is to degrade Iranian military capabilities used to disrupt commercial shipping and enforce a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. officials reported nearly 100 U.S. service members have sustained varying degrees of injuries since the current campaign intensified earlier in July, with three U.S. troops killed in Jordan.

In response to the expanding U.S. campaign, Iranian military forces and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) units launched widespread counter-strikes across the Persian Gulf region, targeting U.S. bases and host infrastructure across Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait using ballistic missiles and attack drones.

Jordan air defenses intercepted multiple incoming missiles over the port of Aqaba. Iranian strikes targeted utility infrastructure in Kuwait, including a power and water desalination plant, causing localized blackouts and fires. And nationwide air-raid sirens sounded as air defense units attempted to intercepted incoming drones and missiles aimed at facilities hosting U.S. assets.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared Monday that the Islamic Republic considers itself in an "all-out war" against the United States, warning citizens to prepare for sustained strikes.

Despite the major escalation, international mediators—including regional Gulf partners and European diplomats—have been actively attempting to broker a 10-day temporary ceasefire to allow human-interest corridors and secure critical energy shipping routes.

Mediators including Pakistan and Qatar reportedly presented Washington D.C and Tehran, the 10-day ceasefire that will open both the southern and northern routes on the Strait of Hormuz, while talks continue on a permanent transit management framework which could allow Iran to collect "reasonable service fees" modeled on the Strait of Malacca, or the fees could flow into a joint fund involving the International Maritime Organization.

However, the crumbling of crumbling of earlier interim agreements and continued attacks on commercial oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have repeatedly stalled these diplomatic efforts, as the level of trust between both sides is at all time. An Iranian spokesman Monday, confirmed receiving a proposal but gave no details.

Tensions surged in July when Iran after Iran attacked some ships on the Strait of Hiormuz, accusing the U.S. of breaking the meomrandum of understanding signed by both countries, by escorting commercial vessels through the Omani corridor on the strait without coordinating with Iran.

Following Iranian attacks on international oil tankers, President Donald Trump signed off on aggressive CENTCOM operations to enforce freedom of navigation. The death of U.S. personnel in Jordan triggered multi-day blitzes against IRGC coastal batteries and small-boat fleets, drawing direct counter-attacks against Gulf states that host American installations.

Read full Article
post photo preview
Keir Starmer Resigns As Andy Burnham Becomes UK's 7th Prime Minister In A Decade

Keir Starmer formally resigned as U.K. Prime Minister on Monday, ending a tenure of 745 days marked by a 2024 landslide victory followed by significant political turbulence and election defeats. Standing outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer delivered an emotional farewell speech declaring "my work is done" and asserting that Britain is now "stronger and fairer" than when he took office, before traveling to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to King Charles III.

Andy Burnham immediately succeeded Starmer as the U.K.'s seventh prime minister in a decade after meeting with the King in a ceremony known as "kissing hands" to form a government.

The former left-wing Mayor of Greater Manchester, dubbed the "King of the North," secured the Labour Party leadership unchallenged with nominations from 379 lawmakers following Starmer's announcement in June that he would step down. Burnham's ascent required him to first win a seat in Parliament via the Makerfield by-election, a necessary step as prime ministers are traditionally sitting members of the House of Commons.

Burnham pledged a "circuit breaker for Britain" in his inaugural address, promising radical changes to reverse political centralization and economic privatization trends dating back to the 1980s.

The new prime minister has said he's committed to ending rough sleeping and addressing the cost-of-living crisis; re-industrializing the country and placing essential services under stronger public control; decentralizing power to local communities and ordinary people; maintaining steadfast support for Ukraine while navigating relations with U.S. President Donald Trump; and delivering a comprehensive 10-year plan for the nation later in the year.

Read full Article
post photo preview
US Troop Killed By Unexploded Ordnance In Iraq, As CENTCOM Strikes Iranian Targets For The 9th Consecutive Night

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the recovery of unidentified remains in Jordan from an Iranian attack on July 17 that killed two U.S. service members and left one missing. Separately, a U.S. service member was killed in action on July 18 in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, with a second service member sustaining minor injuries.

Following an Iranian ballistic missile and drone strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (MSAB) in Jordan on July 17, two U.S. service members were confirmed dead and one was listed as missing. Four others were injured. On Sunday, CENTCOM search-and-recovery teams located unidentified remains at the strike location. Forensic examination is underway to verify whether the remains belong to the missing service member.

The conflict, which began in February 2026, has resulted in 17 U.S. service member deaths and over 430 injuries.

The report comes on the ninth consecutive evening of U.S. airstrikes against Iran, launched to "swiftly punish" Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces responsible for the Jordan attack. The strikes targeted Iranian coastal surveillance, air defense systems, and missile storage facilities.

Reports indicate U.S. strikes hit IRGC-operated Tabriz Missile Field in East Azerbaijan Province of Northwestern Iran, and the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant, though the IAEA states no nuclear material was present.

"They've got very little left-they've got some missiles, they've got some drones, they've got some manufacturing ability, not much. Uhh we control the Strait," President Trump told reporters after his attendance at the FIFA World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina in New Jersey. "They don't control anything. So we'll see what happens but we hit em very hard again tonight, and we did that it honor of the...probably 3, it's probably 3, as opposed to 2....great patriots."

IRGC has already started retaliatory strikes targeting U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. U.S offiials warned Americans living in Bahrain and Jordan of specific threats of some planned Iranian attacks.

Read full Article
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals