1 week ago
Social media level Telegram laminitis Pavel Durov said helium “flatly refused” the petition of a Western European authorities to censor blimpish governmental content. In a Telegram post connected May 18, Durove wrote:
“Telegram volition not restrict the freedoms of Romanian users oregon artifact their governmental channels.”
The request for censorship came up of today’s scheduled Romanian statesmanlike elections. Nicusor Dan, a mathematician turned wide politician of Bucharest, defeated right-wing nationalist hostile George Simion contiguous to go the President of Romania.
Allegations of interference against France
In his post, Durov did not explicitly sanction the state that asked for the censorship. However, helium hinted astatine it with a baguette emoji, understandably pointing to France. Durov wrote:
“You can’t “defend democracy” by destroying democracy. You can’t “fight predetermination interference” by interfering with elections. You either person state of code and just elections — oregon you don’t. And the Romanian radical merit both.”
According to a BBC report, however, France claimed that the allegations of interference were “completely unfounded.” This prompted Durov to openly sanction France and its typical who placed the request.
In a aboriginal X post, Durov stated that helium met with Nicolas Lerner, caput of French intelligence, astatine the Salon des Batailles successful the Hôtel de Crillon. At the meeting, Lerner asked Durov to “ban” blimpish governmental contented connected Telegram up of the Romanian elections.
Durov added that Telegram did not impinge connected the rights of protestors successful Russia, Belarus, oregon Iran, and “won’t commencement doing it successful Europe.”
After Dan’s victory, French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, successful an X post, announced that helium had called and congratulated Dan, but did not contradict that attempts to manipulate the predetermination results had existed. While pledging France’s support, Macron wrote:
“Despite galore attempts astatine manipulation, Romanians contiguous chose democracy, the regularisation of law, and the European Union.”
Durov gained limelight aft his apprehension successful France past year
After French authorities arrested Durov successful August 2024, helium gained prominence successful the crypto assemblage that valued his stance connected escaped speech, privacy, and idiosyncratic liberties. French prosecutors charged Durov with being complicit successful the facilitation of crimes similar kid pornography and cause trafficking done Telegram.
The crypto assemblage condemned the apprehension successful an unfastened missive and accused the French authorities of violating quality rights. The adjacent day, Durov was granted a €5 cardinal bail and placed nether judicial supervision. In March, a French tribunal granted Durov’s petition to modify his bail conditions, allowing him respective weeks of permission to sojourn Dubai.
The station Telegram laminitis ‘flatly refused’ to censor governmental contented up of Romanian election appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.
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