The arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the company that runs the messaging app Telegram, is in the headlines. Durov’s arrest in France has once again brought the discussion of freedom of expression and censorship into the mainstream. Many bigwigs of the corporate world, from Elon Musk to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, have started expressing concerns over this high-profile arrest.
Elon Musk said – dangerous times have come
Tesla CEO and the world’s richest person Elon Musk has also raised his voice on this issue. Elon Musk is linking the arrest of the Telegram founder to the increase in cases of censorship. Sharing an update related to the arrest of Pavel Durov, he posted on the social media platform X – It is 2030 in Europe and you are being sent to jail for liking a meme. Sharing an update related to the increasing cases of censorship, he wrote that times have become dangerous.
POV: It’s 2030 in Europe and you’re being executed for liking a meme https://t.co/OkZ6YS3u2P
—Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2024
Ethereum co-founder worries about the future
Durov’s arrest has surprised many giants of the tech and corporate world. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, the second largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin, while replying to a news of the arrest, writes – I have previously criticized Telegram for not taking encryption seriously. But the information that is coming out now shows that the reason for Durov’s arrest is not to moderate (censor) the content and not to give people’s data. This is very bad and raises concerns about the future of software and freedom of expression in Europe.
I’ve criticized Telegram before for not being serious with encryption.
But (given the info available so far: the charge seems to be just being “unmoderated” and not giving up people’s data), this looks very bad and worrying for the future of software and comms freedom in Europe.
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) August 25, 2024
Srinivasan said- France wants to control people
Indian-origin American entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan also criticized the arrest. Srinivasan says that this step of the French government is more to control people than to prevent crime. He says – The founder of Telegram has been arrested for not controlling crime among the huge user base, while the French government itself is not able to control crime in its country.
Snowden considers it an attack on human rights
Whistleblower and big advocate of free speech Edward Snowden is calling this arrest an attack on the fundamental human right of expression. He says- I am shocked and saddened that Macron (President of France) has stooped to the low of holding people hostage to gain access to private communication. This is a step that will tarnish the image of not only France but the entire world.
the arrest of @Durov is an assault on the basic human rights of speech and association. I am surprised and deeply saddened that Macron has descended to the level of taking hostages as a means for gaining access to private communications. It lowers not only France, but the world.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) August 25, 2024
This is why the Telegram app is popular
Let us tell you that Telegram is the biggest competitor messaging platform of WhatsApp worldwide. Users around the world like Telegram because the content on this platform is not censored at all. For this reason, the Telegram app is very popular among freedom advocates and human rights activists. However, due to the absence of censorship or moderation, Telegram also becomes a favorite choice for people involved in crime.
Also read: Who is Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who was arrested in France? Know what charges are leveled against him
