DISINFO: Telegram founder Durov's arrest highlights lack of freedom of expression and censorship in the West
SUMMARY
Pavel Durov [...] has been arrested in France. The pretence is that he is not moderating Telegram enough. In reality, it is about freedom of expression and censorship. [...] The EU is claiming total control over the information space and is massively restricting freedom of expression, especially in general. [...]
France's accusation against Durov is not specific but very general. The accusation is that he cooperates ‘insufficiently’ and thus supports crime. What France is doing with the backing of the EU is pure arbitrariness. [...T]he EU and its nation-states are becoming more and more recognisably autocracies every day, in which everything that does not conform to the official narrative is suppressed. The information space must be hermetically sealed off from information that challenges the narrative.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about censorship and control of the media in the West. Accusations of censorship and attacks against freedom of expression are a recurring pro-Kremlin technique to defend the illicit actions of Russia’s state-sponsored disinformation outlets.
The arrest of Pavel Durov is part of a procedure accusing Telegram of complicity in numerous cases linked to drug trafficking, glorification of terrorism, and cyberbullying due to a lack of moderation and minimal cooperation with law enforcement authorities in France. Refer to the communication by the French Prosecutor General for more details.
Since 2023, other online platforms in France, though not Telegram, have to comply with the Digital Services Act, making it easier for users to report inappropriate content. Social media platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) are also implementing measures against disinformation.
The lack of moderation on Telegram has led to the spread of false information, fabrications, impersonations, and hate speech. These problems have affected Telegram more than other similar platforms, notes Le Monde. However, pro-Kremlin outlets widely describe this situation as an "absence of censorship" and true freedom of speech.
The Russian publication Proekt investigated the close links between the Kremlin’s coordinated disinformation efforts and Telegram channels that are officially named “independent” and for “freedom of speech”.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that the West arrested Telegram app founder Durov because it failed in its fight against Russia, that Telegram app founder Durov's arrest shows that the West is moving towards totalitarianism and Nazism and that Durov arrest is an attempt to shut down Telegram app because it tells the truth.