Pavel Durov, the Russian-French billionaire behind Telegram, has been arrested at Bourget airport near Paris, according to unnamed sources cited by TF1 and BFM TV. Reuters has the details:
Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation.
TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.
Durov faces possible indictment on Sunday, according to French media.
The encrypted Telegram, with close to one billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and Wechat.
Telegram did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The French Interior Ministry and police had no comment.
Russian-born Durov founded Telegram with his brother in 2013. He left Russia in 2014 after refusing to comply with Government demands to shut down opposition communities on his VKontakte social media platform, which he sold. …
After Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Telegram has become the main source of unfiltered – and sometimes graphic and misleading – content from both sides about the war and the politics surrounding the conflict. …
Telegram – which allows users to evade official scrutiny – has also become one of the few places where Russians can access independent news about the war after the Kremlin increased curbs on independent media following its invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said its embassy in Paris was clarifying the situation around Durov and called on Western non-governmental organisations to demand his release. …
Durov, whose fortune was estimated by Forbes at $15.5 billion, said some governments had sought to pressure him but the app should remain a “neutral platform” and not a “player in geopolitics”.
Telegram’s increasing popularity, however, has prompted scrutiny from several countries in Europe, including France, on security and data breach concerns.
Worth reading in full.
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Globalists hate free speech because they hate freedom.
…… and, of course, ‘they don’t fear lies – they fear the truth’ (RFK jr I think)
Vichy – Milice. Fascist Europe emerging from its post-war purdah.
Because this would never happen in Britain. The country where Assange was detained for years.
I mentioned Assange to my sister today saying how his case resembles what was done to Pavel. Her response….didn’t Assange rape someone. Do you see how effective the brainwashing is. When in fact, the real crime was committed by the USA gov’t which Julian bravely reported on. The rape charge was created to make Julian look like the bad guy. It worked. My sister still believes he was guilty of rape despite those charges being dropped years ago. See how this works?
You urgently need some deprogramming. This is very decidedly antifascist Europe and the hackneyed Nazis phrases which keep dropping out of your mind apparently entirely on their own don’t make the least bit of sense anymore.
Tucker interviewed Durov in Dubai in April.
https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1827460234887008277
‘Anarcho-tyranny’ is what it is and it’s happening all over. Rumble’s CEO;
”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.”
https://x.com/chrispavlovski/status/1827658235618144257
Literally what’s happening in the UK, and they keep printing these people’s addresses. The guy in the North East who waved a flag lives with his partner and child. They’re sending people down for yelling at police or looking at a dog the wrong way;
”They jailed a guy for waving an English flag IN ENGLAND yesterday.
This meme is literally happening in real life.”
https://x.com/iamyesyouareno/status/1827373851639996482
1984 was supposed to be fiction not a blue print. Look how quickly the gestapo has reformed. People need to seriously wake up!
This news and in particular that phrase puts a knot in my stomach.
It shows how much things have moved on. When they decided to go for Assange they made up some sexual assault and then by the time it was undeniable what they were really going for him for, the public had moved on, got bored, confused.
With Snowden, they went for him for breaking some secrecy laws. The secret he was breaking was that the NSA was spying on all Americans in breach themselves of the law. But as Snowden technially was in breach too, again the public could be easily confused or split.
But now, it’s just plain lack of compliance with arbitrary censorship requirements. They’re not even bothering to come up with some bullshit excuse.
Yet the idiot public will not realise what the online safety bills are actually about. Or don’t accept it. Or don’t care. It’s to stamp out independent media, intimidate existing media and ensure only official “truth” is disseminated.
And those of us who see this unfolding are left as if screaming in a vacuum.
.
We are so totally screwed.
Pavel Durov now lives in and runs Telegram from the UAE, which he finds far less intrusive then either the EU or the US.
So, people will just continue talking to each other, like they always have and always will.
Truth travels far, without the need for tech like Telegram.
Not condoning what the French authorities have done here. Just being realistic.
We know we’re winning, otherwise why would they do this (and many other things, like arresting Assange et al)?
In his interview with Tucker Carlson, Pavel said he owned nothing, including a private jet. The interview was an eye opener into Telegram, where Pavel has been asked by various country’s security agencies to create a back door, which would allow these agencies to obtain details of Telegram users. He has refused thus far to comply with this request. What kind of pressure will the deep state apply next get what they want. P.S. Reuters is the last place I would go to for any honest reporting. MSM is not fit for purpose. France is a WEF puppet country run by a French puppet. We all know that. Pavel is based in the UAE, where he is left to freely run his company.
https://substack.com/redirect/49a16c0f-5f37-4cea-9958-d941af96b0a3?j=eyJ1IjoieXBtcjkifQ.EPxY5aADVSnH5nTf768_FkeLP-BLt5Fqkceg8Ph5Ut0