Tesla CEO Elon Musk has expressed solidarity with detained Russian billionaire Pavel Durov after he was arrested in France on Saturday in connection with crimes against minors.
Durov, Telegram’s chief executive, was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing on a private jet late on Saturday, after OFMIN, a French government agency responsible for protecting minors from violence, issued a warrant for his arrest.
He has been accused of facilitating organised crime, drug trafficking, fraud, cyberbullying and promoting terrorism on his platform, which has around 950 million users worldwide.
Musk joined critics of the arrest who accused authorities of cracking down on free speech, tweeting “#FreePavel” last night with a short clip of Durov speaking to Tucker Carlson.
The interview, which first aired in April, showed Durov praising X for “seemingly becoming more free-speaking.”
“It’s a big step forward and it seems like things are starting to change.”
Elon Musk (pictured during the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity) has joined critics of the arrest who accused authorities of cracking down on free speech.
Pavel Durov, the chief executive of Telegram, (pictured) was arrested at Le Bourget airport outside Paris shortly after landing in a private jet on Saturday evening.
Musk tweeted ‘#FreePavel’ with a short clip of Durov speaking to Tucker Carlson
Referring to France’s national motto, Musk also posted: ‘Liberté Liberté! Freedom?
Over the weekend, he also published ‘Dangerous Times’ in response to claims that much of Europe was cracking down on free speech.
Telegram is a “secure and free” encrypted messaging app. It has pledged to never reveal information about its users or pass data on to third parties.
Intended as a rival to WhatsApp, Telegram users can have “secret chats,” where messages are stored on devices rather than in the cloud, and can also be set to self-destruct after a certain period of time.
Telegram’s determination to remain “neutral” and not take sides has exposed it to criticism as terrorists, criminal gangs and extremists use the app as a means of communication.
It has faced criticism over suggestions it was used by far-right extremists in recent violent protests across England.
Telegram has called the arrest of its chief executive Pavel Durov “absurd” after he was detained over allegations he failed to curb criminal activity on the messaging app.
The company said in a statement posted via the app: ‘Telegram complies with EU laws, including the Digital Services Act; its moderation is within industry standards.
Questions are being raised over why Telegram chief executive Pavel Durov (pictured), arrested at a French airport last night, would risk travelling knowing he would likely be detained.
Durov founded the app in 2013 together with his brother Nikolai (file image)
Pavel Durov is a social media mogul arrested on allegations that he failed to curb criminal activity on the messaging app Telegram
“Pavel Durov has nothing to hide and frequently travels around Europe,” he added.
“It is absurd to claim that a platform or its owner is responsible for the abuse of that platform.”
In a recent television interview, Durov, who fled Russia a decade ago, insisted that Telegram was “neutral” and that “we apply the rules equally to all parties.” Western governments have often criticized Telegram for the messaging service’s lack of content moderation.
Regarding disputes with governments, he told US broadcaster Tucker Carlson: “Politicians and societies know what to expect from social media platforms and where the boundaries are. I don’t necessarily think things are going to get worse.”
A Telegram spokesperson previously told the Mail that “calls to violence are explicitly prohibited” and that the app used artificial intelligence, proactive moderation and “user reports” to remove content that violated its terms.
