Telegram CEO Durov Alleges French Intelligence Linked Election Censorship to His Arrest

Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, has publicly accused French intelligence services of attempting to leverage his legal troubles in France to pressure Telegram into censoring political content ahead of Moldova's presidential elections. Durov, who was arrested in Paris in August 2024, claims an intermediary offered a favorable word to his presiding judge in exchange for Telegram's cooperation in removing "problematic" channels.

In a recent social media post, Durov stated, "About a year ago, while I was stuck in Paris, the French intelligence services reached out to me through an intermediary, asking me to help the Moldovan government censor certain Telegram channels ahead of the presidential elections in Moldova." He further elaborated that after Telegram removed channels violating its rules, a second list emerged, comprising "legitimate and fully compliant" channels whose "only commonality was that they voiced political positions disliked by the French and Moldovan governments." Telegram refused this second request, upholding its commitment to free speech.

Durov's August 2024 arrest at Paris-Le Bourget airport led to his indictment on twelve charges, including complicity in child sexual exploitation and drug trafficking due to insufficient platform moderation. He was subsequently placed under judicial supervision, initially restricting his travel. French President Emmanuel Macron had previously denied any political motivation behind the arrest, asserting France's commitment to freedom of expression within legal boundaries.

The Telegram CEO deemed the alleged offer "unacceptable on several levels," viewing it as either an attempt to interfere with the judicial process or an exploitation of his legal vulnerability to sway political outcomes in Eastern Europe. He noted a similar pattern observed concerning Romania. While the French Foreign Ministry has previously dismissed Durov's allegations regarding Romanian elections as "unfounded," a direct response to these specific Moldovan claims has not been widely reported.

Moldova held a presidential election in October 2024, followed by a runoff in November, and is currently navigating a sensitive political landscape with ongoing parliamentary elections and a push for European Union membership. Durov's allegations underscore the persistent tension between global tech platforms' content policies and government demands, particularly in geopolitically charged regions. Telegram has maintained that it "is committed to freedom of speech and will not remove content for political reasons."